Gundam SEED Era of Renegades
by Hellshadow
Summary: Cosmic Era 70. The war between Naturals and Coordinators rages even as the neutral colony of Heliopolis stays out of it. But when the war reaches it's front steps, the people will have to make a choice. And for some, like Aleksander Kolodziej and Kira Yamato, the choice will be life changing. Gundam SEED AU. Rated T for violence and some cursing.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Gundam SEED.

* * *

Chapter 1: False Peace

He groaned and got up, rubbing his face. The bed creaked as his weight shifted and he stood up, stretching. He opened his eyes and squinted as the light from the window struck him head on.

"It is way too bright," he groaned softly, walking over to the desk on the other side of his room while putting on the shirt he'd prepared the night before. He then slowly made his way to the bathroom and turned on the light. He winced as, yet again, the light hit his eyes. He ran a hand through his navy-blue hair and rubbed the back of his head. The headache just wouldn't go away. Oh, well. He'd endure. He always did.

After fully getting dressed and scarfing down a sandwich quickly, he headed over to the door, grabbing the green backpack lying on the ground next to it. He picked up his ID card and checked it. Aleksander Kolodziej. The ID was still good. He always double checked it, even though it was good for another two years. He slung the bag over his shoulder and gazed fondly at the picture framed on the wall. It was him and another blue haired young man, with the same green eyes, though their expressions were slightly different. Alex's was a cocky smirk, while the other had a genuinely happy smile.

"Too bad you're not here, bracie," Alex said softly. "You'd definitely make the place more fun." He sighed and headed out, grabbing the cap from the counter and putting it on. He then took the audio device next to it and turned it on while putting the headphones on, as well. Finally, he headed out.

"The refugee camp has been suffering from a severe lack of food and basic aid items, putting 1.2 million people in a desperate situation. ZAFT has descended on Kaohsiung, with reports of their forces approaching within six kilometers of the city."

Alex took a look at his watch, and realizing he was late, broke into a run. As he approached the street he ran faster, cutting through the traffic, ignoring the car horn directed at him. He noticed the small group of teens huddled over a computer at a lone table on the far side of the park, and headed over.

"If these are from last week, Kaohsiung's probably fallen already," the teen standing at the edge said. He wore a light blue shirt, and his dark brown hair was a bit unruly. A backpack was worn over one shoulder. "Oh, by the way, Professor Kato's got more work for you and Alex," he added.

"Seriously?" The other boy asked, groaning as he leaned back on the seat. "I haven't even gotten half the stuff from yesterday done."

"About the news," the girl standing next to them said nervously. "Kaohsiung's pretty close. Will we be alright?"

"We'll be fine, Miriallia," Alex said firmly, surprising all three of them. He gave a shrug and the backpack fell on the table with a soft thud. "We're close, but Heliopolis is a neutral entity. ZAFT wouldn't dare attack." I hope, he thought silently. He turned off the audio player and placed it in the bag.

"Alex, where have you been?" The boy standing up asked, turning around with a smile on his face.

"Overslept, Tolle," Alex replied, smiling sheepishly. "Working off minimal sleep finally kicked me in the…privates…pretty hard," he said, glancing at Miriallia as she giggled. "How you doing over there, Kira?"

"Not good," Kira Yamato replied. He sighed and looked at Alex. "How do you handle this?"

"One day at a time," Alex said with a smirk. "And being old enough to drink adds another advantage."

Miriallia scowled at him. "Really, Alex? Again?"

"What?" Alex asked, unzipping his backpack and pulling out a single bottle of beer. "Does wonders for you. You get a little loose, relaxed, and if you have enough of them, even the most horrid of females can take the appearance of a supermodel. Or Lacus Clyne," he said, thinking of the young woman. "Her songs are amazing."

"Isn't she a bit young for you?" Kira asked, tilting his head and smirking.

Alex suddenly went rigid and he looked up towards the sky. "Yeah, that doesn't sound too good, does it?"

Tolle chuckled. He then walked over to Kira as he heard a news report coming through the speakers on Kira's laptop.

"Now I see why you haven't finished Kato's work," he teased.

"Shut it, Tolle," Kira snapped, twisting his head up to look at him. He quickly looked back, though. "It's Kaohsiung, apparently."

" _The gunfire can still be heard even from this distance, and behind me, you can see that ZAFT has brought in their mobile suits. They've caused significant damage to the city even as the Alliance continues to try to evacuate the residents. We can see-"_

The video suddenly cut out, and an error message came up on the screen.

"Well, that's that," Alex said, frowning. "Kaohsiung's gone. I got a friend who lived there."

Miriallia put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine," she said, although she didn't feel very encouraging, considering how her hand shook.

Alex took it and smiled at her. "It's fine, Milly. He's not there right now. He left some months ago. But I think some of his family was there. He's probably worried. His sister is, um-she's sick. Real sick. Has been all her life. Their father passed away some years ago, and so he and his mother took care of her. He dropped out of school and got a job so he could support them both. His mom eventually stayed home to take care of her daughter full time."

Miriallia smiled at him. "He sounds like a good guy."

"We should get going, Milly," Tolle said, and the two stood up and got ready to head to the lab. Kira touched the top of the laptop and the screen closed by itself. He placed it in his bag and looked at Alex as he stood up. "Kaohsiung's close by. Think there'll be trouble?"

Alex shrugged. "I remember hearing people say that there was no way the Alliance would attack the PLANTs. Then the Bloody Valentine happened," he said, his voice turning cold. "All because the people of Earth believed that Coordinators were abominations."

Kira looked at Alex, feeling sorry for him. He knew Alex lost family, knew who he lost, though he never pried for specifics. Alex was not the type to cry his heart out. Nor was he the type to accept apologies for the actions of others, which was why Kira didn't say anything.

Alex shook his head and looked at his friend. "Let's get going, braciszku. Don't want Kato to dump even more work on us for being late."

* * *

"Axis adjusted, right, 6.51 meters. Entry vector acceptable."

The Marseille III class transport entered the port, slowing down gradually.

"Braking jets off. Deceleration rate at 2.56. The ship is stopping. Stand by."

The captain took his military cap off, sighing in relief. "And with that, this ship has finally completed its last mission. You've served admirably as an escort. Thank you, Lieutenant La Flaga."

Lieutenant Mu La Flaga smiled as he turned to face the captain. "Don't mention it, sir. I'm just glad we got here without any issues. What's the status of the ZAFT vessels in the vicinity?"

The captain grabbed a datapad and looked it over. "We traced two vessels, but don't worry. They can't do anything since we're docked."

Mu scoffed. "Because this colony belongs to a nation that's neutral?" He shook his head. "What a joke."

The captain laughed. "And yet, thanks to that, we've been able to proceed with our plans up to this point. Orb is a nation of Earth, after all."

"Well, then, we're on our way, sir."

Mu and the captain turned to face a group of young men in uniform who were saluting. The captain returned the salute and watched as they left.

Mu sighed. "Are you sure they can handle things on the ground?" He asked, running a hand through his blonde hair.

"They may be young, but they were handpicked for the G-weapons. They all have top marks. They'll be fine," the captain replied, his shoulders sagging in relief. "On the other hand, someone like you would stick out like a sore thumb."

Mu gave a small smile and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

* * *

Just out of range of Heliopolis' scanners, two ZAFT vessels lie in wait, the _Vesalius_ and _Gamow_. The ships simply sat there as two small transport shuttles left and headed right for the colony.

"Don't look so disappointed, Ades," Rau le Creuset said as he pushed off and floated up above the captain's chair, grabbing the file and opening it to examine the findings. His face betrayed nothing and the mask prevented anyone from seeing his eye expressions.

"Yes, sir, but I don't think it would be a too bad if we waited for the council's-"

"It will be too late," Rau replied smoothly, grabbing one of the photos. "I have a sixth sense about these things." He tossed the photo past Captain Ades' face. Ades glimpsed a brief look of what appeared to be the head of a mobile suit. "If we let things slip now, we will all pay for this mistake with our lives. These new mobile suits the Earth Forces have built-we have to capture them before they're transported out of here."

* * *

As Kira and the others headed for the school, Alex noticed several girls ahead of them arguing. Alex grit his teeth and adjusted the cap he was wearing. Flay Allster, and several of her friends. Kira glanced at Alex and sighed. Alex made no attempt to hide his distaste of the Allsters. Kira didn't know why, but he knew Alex wouldn't budge on the subject.

"Come on, just admit it!" One of the girls said to Flay. The girl adjusted her dress, looking rather nervous.

"I already told you, no!" Flay replied shaking her head, her red hair whipping to the side. She noticed the small group and smiled. "Miriallia!"

"Maybe you know, Milly!" The other girl said quickly, turning towards her.

"What?" Miriallia asked, genuinely confused.

"Stop it right now!" Flay said, tugging on their arms.

"She got a letter from Sai Argyle!" The girls practically squealed at the same time.

Kira was shocked, but managed to hide it pretty well. Alex just groaned and rubbed his temple.

"She won't tell us any details, though," they continued, sounding dejected.

Tolle smirked and looked at Kira and Alex. Alex couldn't take it. "Honestly, a man just wants to get to where he needs to be, and the gossip brigade sets up a blockade," he said loudly. That was enough for all the girl's faces to turn red and they stood to the side as Alex walked past. He didn't miss the woman and two men that were behind them. Something about them made him uneasy. He couldn't place it, though.

"Thank you for making some room for us," the woman said, and Alex stood to the side as well, one hand coming up to grip the strap to the backpack tightly.

"No problem," he said. "After you."

The three walked past, and Alex kept an eye on them. His instincts were rarely wrong. He watched as they got in a car and drove off towards the spaceport.

"What's wrong?" Kira asked him.

Alex sighed and shook his head. "Nothing, I hope. Let's go see Kato."

"Sai wrote Flay a letter?" Tolle asked. "Looks like Kira has some competition." He put a hand on Kira's shoulder. "Don't mess this up, buddy."

Alex shook his head and kept walking as Kira protested. He smiled as he saw his ride. It was a blue sports car convertible. "C'mon guys, we can get there faster going in this."

"Can't we just walk?" Miriallia asked, disappointed. "Last time, you drove a bit too fast for my liking."

Alex shook his head again and sighed. "I swear I'll go the speed limit," he said, raising his right hand.

"Cool," Tolle said, jumping into the front left seat without even opening the door. "Shotgun."

Alex glared at him. "Koenig, get out of the front. You know that's Kira's seat."

Tolle looked dejected, but got out of the seat. Kira smirked. "That's what you get for assuming, Tolle." He sat in the seat and buckled up.

Alex got behind the wheel and put on his seat belt, as well. He turned the car on and put the car in gear as Miriallia got in behind him. "Everyone set?"

When they all said yes, he drove off, heading for the Morgenroete Research Center. Alex listened to their friendly bickering as he drove, enjoying the wind hitting his face. After a while, he slowed down as they approached the gate. He pulled his passkey out and slid it at the gate, looking at the sky as the barrier lowered to let them in.

"Any word from your parents, Kira?" Alex asked while the others conversed among themselves. He let off the brake and drove the car into the facility.

"Same as always," Kira said, shrugging. "They sent a message this morning. They're getting worried about how close to us the recent battles have been."

Alex shook his head. "You want to hear the truth, Kira?" He asked, looking to the side as he pulled the car onto a ramp.

Kira grimaced. "Not really, but okay."

Alex glanced at the group of friends in the back, then leaned in close to Kira. "No way in hell we stay out of this war forever."

Kira turned sharply towards him, eyes wide.

Alex shrugged. "Truth. A war as big as this, between Naturals and Coordinators-history will remember it for sure. When the war ends, George Glenn will be a footnote. This, though-this will be a hundred pages at least," he explained, looking at him as he pulled into a parking spot.

"So, we just delayed the inevitable?" Kira asked, glaring at him.

Alex sighed as he put the car in neutral and pulled the emergency brake before turning the car off. "Okay, folks, end of the line," he said, opening the car and getting out.

Kira quickly got out and walked to the trunk, just like Alex. He watched as Alex opened it and pulled out a second bag. "Kira, hang on."

Kira waited patiently as their friends got out and collected their things before heading for the lift. Alex closed the trunk and nudged him as he walked past.

"If ZAFT wins, which is the more likely outcome, how long before they set their sights on places like Heliopolis, or Liteiria, which is also fairly close to us?" He asked softly, which made Kira pause.

"But if they do-"

"And in the unlikely scenario that the Earth Forces achieve victory, do you think reason will win the day?" Alex kept going. "You're not as up to date on current affairs as you think. There are hardliners on both sides, Kira. Unfortunately, folks who want true peace aren't going to get it unless they fight for it. And they'd rather stay on the sidelines at a location like this than attempt that."

"And now you're saying we're cowards," Kira replied, frowning.

Alex shook his head and chuckled. "No, Kira. But if we got attacked and all you wanted to do was run and hide-" he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, then I _would_ call you a coward. But I don't think you'd do that."

Kira looked at him, surprised. "You don't?"

"Why do you think, when we came here years ago, I got you enrolled in my krav maga class?" Alex asked. "It's simple enough to learn, designed for defense, although it _is_ incredibly brutal. And even though this is a neutral colony, like I said, it could change in an instant. The classes were to help you grow a spine. And you did."

They finally reached the lift and Alex swiped his pass card without even looking.

"You guys need to lighten up," Tolle said, grinning.

"Kira's parents are the ones worried," Alex replied, throwing his arms to the side. "You'd think they'd trust me when I tell them everything's fine," he explained. The door to the lift slid open and he motioned for everyone to get in.

When everyone was in, Alex hit the button for the top floor and the lift moved.

"Hey, Tolle," Alex said, looking at Kira's fellow classmate. "You and Miriallia tie the knot yet?"

Miriallia went beet red and Tolle seemed to freeze.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Alex teased. "I thought you said I should lighten up. This definitely seems to be a more calming subject than the war," he said, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face.

"Okay, okay, back off," Tolle said quickly. "Sorry."

Alex patted him on the shoulder once. "It's all good. Just watch your back. I'm a pretty mean chess player. You hit me, I annihilate you."

The lift finally stopped, and Alex moved past them all, walking pretty quickly, much to everyone's surprise.

"What's your rush?" Kira asked, barely keeping up.

Alex looked at him as he opened the door. "I need to check something, and it's pretty time sensitive," he said, and walked in.

It seemed like your average tech room. There were computers, desks, chairs, but there was also some kind of power suit. It was bulky, and big, and had several wires attached to its back. Alex walked up to it and stared long and hard.

"Still enamored with that unit, Alex?" Miriallia teased. "You want us to get you two a separate room?"

"Ha ha," Alex said, but he wasn't angry with the comment. He put the backpack on the chair next to him and opened it. As he rummaged around for what he was looking for, another student peered over another of the computers.

"Kira, Alex! Didn't think you'd be here so quickly," he said, adjusting the glasses he wore. He wore a light red jacket over his shirt, and his glasses were slightly tinted. His light brown hair seemed a bit disheveled, but he seemed happy to see them.

"What did you expect, with Alex driving?" Tolle asked, gesturing towards their friend.

Alex just grunted as he finally found the disc he was looking for and inserted it into the drive. He quickly booted it up and pulled up a secondary file just so he could quickly switch between the two if his friends became curious in what he was doing.

Kira went over to join Sai, but stopped for a second as he noticed the figure standing next to the door. Whoever it was, seemed quite content standing off to the side. Arms crossed over his chest, the new arrival had a trench coat and a hat covering most of his features. Kira only caught the amethyst eyes and blonde hair before Sai called him over again. The stranger turned his attention to Alex, narrowing his eyes as he watched the young man type furiously.

Tolle went over to his classmate Kuzzey Buskirk, who was also in their group. "Who's that?" He asked quietly.

"Oh, that's the professor's guest, I guess. He was told to wait here," Kuzzey replied. Kuzzey seemed genuinely bored, pulling the hood of his sweater over his head as he typed.

The "guest" heard this, but kept looking at Alex.

Alex heard this as well, and he was interested, but he was focusing on the files in front of him. Something wasn't adding up. Ever since Kaohsiung was listed as a potential target for invasion, the workload he and the other students here had to endure increased dramatically. Normally, he would attribute it to nerves which the teachers channeled into lessons. But Kato's class was especially intriguing.

Introductory lessons on AMBAC systems, basic theories and applications on OS builds, thruster and maneuverability notes. The list went on. Alex grimaced and ran a hand over his mouth, rubbing his chin in thought. "What the hell are you up to, Kato?"

He quickly started copying the files and as he did, opened up a chat.

AK: We might have a problem. Looks like Kato may have been, and might still be, helping the Alliance with mobile suit design and application processes. While not unexpected from the Alliance, depending how far along in the process they are, Heliopolis may soon be on ZAFT's radar. I need to know if there's anything out of the ordinary on your end. My resources here are limited, and the plan is nowhere near ready for execution at this time. If Kato's idiocy leads ZAFT to poke around, they may choose to involve themselves here, heavily. Heliopolis is not ready for that, and neither am I.

He waited for several minutes, as he closed up the files and pulled the disc out. He was just about to shut the unit down, when a message came in.

JD: That is a troublesome thought. I'll head out your way immediately. With Kaohsiung overtaken, I should easily be able to get out there without anyone getting suspicious. I'll say we're heading out for support, should the troops require it. Be careful. I mean it. Word is RC is out there near you. Dunno if that's true, but there was a flurry of activity here a while back. Heard two ships got dispatched. If it's him, we'll know soon enough.

Alex was both relieved and shocked. If they'd sent someone here, and if it was the someone he was thinking of, things definitely wouldn't stay quiet for long. He shut the computer down and unplugged it.

"Oh, by the way, have you seen the professor?" Kira asked Kuzzey.

Alex looked up, waiting for the reply.

"He didn't come in this morning," Kuzzey replied, holding his hands up. "I was surprised."

Kato never misses a day, Alex thought. He was one of those teachers who lived for the job. Only way he wasn't coming in was if he was sick. Or dead.

"He handed me this, though," Sai said, holding up a disc. Kira took it as Alex stood up. "What is it?" Sai asked. "Something for Morgenroete?"

"Nothing special," Kira laughed. "Just improvements on the frame setup module. A simple program analysis." He shrugged.

Alex suddenly felt a chill up his spine, and he looked around _. I hate that feeling_ , he thought. _Last time I felt that…_

Tolle suddenly grabbed Kira from behind, his arm around his neck. "Ask about the letter!" He said sharply, grinning.

Sai adjusted his glasses, puzzled. "What letter?"

"It's-it's nothing!" Kira rasped, waving his arm.

"It is not!" Tolle replied.

Alex quickly rushed over and kicked Tolle's left leg out from under him. Tolle cried out and fell to the ground as Alex grabbed Kira by the arm pulled him up, angling his own body for counterweight. "What are you, ten?!" He yelled at Tolle, straightening Kira's now ruffled shirt.

"Would you two stop this?" Miriallia asked, walking up to them. Alex glared at Tolle, who smiled sheepishly. "Honestly, you two."

"He started it," Alex said, pointing at Tolle. He noticed the door handle turning and walked over as someone was now banging on the door. "And now you've attracted whoever is out there," he said. "Tolle, if we get in trouble, Tolle, you're getting kicked out."

Alex opened the door, and the first thing he noticed was the glare. The second thing he noticed was the face as a whole. Alex smirked. _Who'd have thought she'd be here, of all people?_ "Sorry 'bout that, the kids had a little spat," he said, leaning against the door, crossing his arms as he did so. "I took care of it."

"It sounded like fighting," the guest said, frowning.

"I'm sure it did, _miss_ ," he said, surprising her. "But it's nothing. And you don't look like the kind of person who would…. interfere in a fight, am I wrong?" Alex asked, deep in thought. She went red in the face again, and Alex knew his suspicions were right. _Cagalli Yula Attha_ , he thought. _What is the daughter of ORB's leader doing here?_

He jerked suddenly as his portable communicator went off. "Excuse me," he said to Cagalli, and turned around, pulling out the small device. He went pale as he read the message.

ZAFT incoming. Mobile suits dispatched. Advise escape and evasion.

" _W cholere_ ," he muttered. He looked at his friends, who were bickering among themselves again. "Guys!"

They group looked at him just as the colony shook violently. Alex grabbed Cagalli and shook his head as she tried to wrestle away.

"What is this?" Miriallia asked, afraid.

"Meteors?" Sai asked.

"Worse than that, Sai," Alex said, moving towards the door. "We'd have gotten a warning if it was that." He grabbed his bag and looked at Kira. "Kira," he said. "Get your stuff, all of you. I'm in front, Kira at the back, to make sure we're all out."

Alex quickly left the room and went to the stairs. Already, there were countless people quickly heading downstairs to get out of the building. "What's going on?" He asked, hoping he was wrong.

"I don't know," one person said. Another pushed past him, glaring at them. "It's that damn ZAFT! Mobile suits have entered the colony!"

Cagalli gasped and backed away, turning away and running to the other end of the hallway. Alex cursed as he saw her. "Kira! Don't let her get away!"

Kira ran after her. Alex looked at Sai. "Get them to safety."

"What about you?" Tolle asked.

"I'm going after Kira and the girl," he said sharply.

"But if it really is ZAFT-"

"Just do what I say, all of you!" He yelled at them, shocking them to the core. Alex could be mean, and was a hell of a fighter, but he'd never directed his full anger at them. Not even Tolle when he pulled pranks. "I've lost a lot to this war already," he said, more softly. "I'm not losing the only people I've got left who I care about."

Without another word, he ran down the corridor.

Meanwhile, Kira had finally caught up with the girl. He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder, nearly knocking her over. She whirled and punched him square in the jaw. "Let go of me! I can take care of myself!" She yelled.

"I'm not disputing that," Kira groaned, clutching his jaw. "But there's no use, going that way!"

The corridor behind them suddenly blew, and they saw a figure slam into the wall from the force of the explosion. They ran over to help the victim, who they hoped was still alive.

"Alex?" Kira asked, shocked. He reached down and helped him up. Cagalli came over to the other side and helped him up.

"Yup," Alex groaned, clutching his side. A piece of shrapnel had struck him, and blood was already seeping through his shirt. Kira put an arm around him and Cagalli grabbed his left arm and put it over her shoulder, now heading back the way they came. "The others okay?" Alex asked, wincing.

"I don't know," Kira said. "I rushed after you. They were following the others when I left."

Alex nodded. "Good. Oh, by the way, Kira, meet Cagalli Yula Attha, daughter of Uzumi Nara Attha, the lion of Orb. Miss Attha, meet Kira Yamato, my friend and a coordinator. And I'm Aleksander Kolodziej."

"You're the Blue Blaze!" Cagalli blurted, nearly letting go of him.

"I was," Alex admitted. "I came here to get away from the war. So much for that."

"The Blue Blaze?" Kira asked, grunting as he pulled Alex along. "Who's that?"

"You really don't know?!" Cagalli said sharply.

"To be fair, Miss Attha, Kira's not a soldier," Alex said. He motioned ahead. "Is that what's left of the tech shop?"

Cagalli and Kira pulled him as he limped with one leg so as not to increase the bleeding. They entered the room, which actually was in good shape. A few items had been knocked down, but nothing seemed damaged.

"I need a blow torch," he said, pulling his backpack over and opening it.

"For what?" Cagalli asked, her eyes widening as he pulled out a ZAFT issued combat knife.

He groaned and leaned back, lifting his shirt up. Cagalli noticed the wound on his side. She knew he was hurt, obviously, but didn't know how bad it was. "Just get it for me," he said, tossing the bloody shirt aside. Kira was already looking for one, running through the lab as quickly as he could.

Cagalli finally found one by the back wall, right next to the fire extinguisher. She brought it over to him as Alex whistled at Kira. He came back over and Alex handed him the knife. "Wash it, quickly."

Kira followed his instruction as Cagalli looked at him. "Shouldn't you call your friends and tell them not to kill you?" She asked sarcastically.

"I'm not ZAFT," Alex said, groaning. "I left some time ago. I just had enough. And blowing up mobile armors that posed no threat to me felt wrong."

Kira brought the knife over and handed it to Alex. "Thanks, bracie," Alex said, smiling at him. He motioned for Cagalli to look behind her. "Grab those goggles."

Cagalli grabbed three pairs and put one on after handing them to Kira and Alex. Alex hobbled away from them, then turned on the blowtorch. He set it to its highest setting, the flame bright blue. He held the unit with one hand and carefully brought the knife closer to the flame. Not too close. He didn't want to melt it, after all. After a few seconds, he switched it off and took a deep breath.

"What now?" Kira asked.

Alex answered by pressing the blade into his side. Kira and Cagalli visibly jumped as they saw him do that. Alex screamed in pain and rage, and after a few seconds, threw the knife into the sink before falling to the floor. He lay on his side, the wound now cauterized. Kira grabbed a rag and wiped the blood running down his stomach.

"Now what?" Cagalli asked.

Alex held up a hand. "Gimme a sec, will you?"

"We may not have a second, Alex," Kira said softly.

"True," Alex said, groaning. He pulled himself up and Cagalli grabbed his arms and helped him to his feet. "Okay, let's find out what the fuss is about." _I have to hurry_ , he thought. _Kato. I have to find Kato. This is getting out of hand._

The three set out, and headed for the nearest exit. "Service tunnel," Alex said. "Leads right to the warehouse district. There's shelters there."

Kira nodded and the three set off. It was faster than it was before. Alex, despite being in tremendous pain, was doing his best to lead the way. He found the door to the service tunnel and tried to open it, but it was locked. "Hand me the gun in my bag, Kira."

Kira nodded and opened the bag, rummaging through it. He pulled out the weapon, a Luger P08. It was old, but Alex had taken pristine care of it over the years.

"Does that thing even work?" Cagalli asked.

"You could always find out the hard way," Alex said, smirking.

Cagalli frowned. "I was just asking."

Alex nodded. "It works. A family heirloom. My ancestor brought this home after the second World War. It's been passed down ever since."

"You're German?" Cagalli asked.

"No. Polish ancestry," Alex said, setting the gun aside and pulling out the holster, quickly putting it on his waist. He then holstered the gun after checking the clip. "Okay, let's see if we can find out why ZAFT attacked us."

He walked forward, Cagalli and Kira behind him. As they approached the end of the tunnel, the sounds of gunfire got louder. Just as they exited, an explosion went off, and they saw a cargo truck launch into the sky before landing on another, destroying both instantly.

"You don't see that every day," Kira said.

Alex chuckled. "True. Same goes for those," he said, pointing directly ahead. There, on the ground, secured within the transport trucks, were two mobile suits. Both were gray, but unlike the ZAFT units, these were not mono-eyed machines with smooth armor plating. These were more angular, and their heads, in addition to the dual visual sensors on the head, sported V-shaped antennas.

"I knew it," Cagalli choked out, falling to her knees. "The Earth Forces new mobile weapons. Father, I knew you betrayed us all!"

Her cry attracted the attention of an Earth forces officer, who turned and fired at them. Alex managed to pull her and Kira back as the shot barely missed them, hitting the railing they were holding onto.

"Easy, sweetheart," he said, holding her shoulder. "This may not be as simple as that." He pulled her up and motioned for the two of them to follow them. "Come on, I think I know what happened."

The three of them quickly ran to the stairwell that led into the warehouse below. Alex quickly descended, not checking to see how Kira and Cagalli were faring. The pain in his side was still there, but it wasn't getting worse, at least.

He noticed the Earth forces were now pinned, and several ZAFT soldiers were moving in. But they didn't noticed Alex or his two companions. He looked at Kira. "See that mobile suit?" He asked, pointing at the closest of the two prototypes.

"Yeah?" Kira asked.

"You're gonna take it," Alex told him, shocking him and Cagalli.

"But-"

"No buts, Kira," Alex said. "If we're going to fight for Heliopolis, we need to start now. Take these prototypes from them, we do three things," Alex said, holding up three fingers. "We stop ZAFT from getting these prototypes. Second, we stop the Earth Forces from using them against the PLANTs. And third, we can use them to keep Heliopolis safe. Our own private militia."

"Is that smart?" Cagalli asked.

"Better than the Alliance keeping them," Alex said. "And eventually ORB will get pulled into this, too."

"So, what's the plan?" Kira asked. He didn't want to fight, but if it was the only way to save Heliopolis.

"You take one unit, I take the other," Alex explained. "And we hold Heliopolis until my reinforcements arrive."

"That sounds simple enough, but-hey, what do you mean, your reinforcements?!" He asked, shocked by this news.

"You _are_ ZAFT, aren't you?" Cagalli asked.

"No, I'm not!" Alex screamed at her. "And neither are the guys I've got coming here. They _were_ my ticket off Heliopolis, but I'm gonna have to change our mission, now."

"To what?" Kira asked.

"Protecting Heliopolis," Alex said. "The Earth forces aren't the only ones who've been busy with mobile suit projects. We're wasting time," he said, shaking his head. "Hurry up. Princess, you're with me."

Cagalli fumed at the term he used, but Alex paid her no mind. "Kira, go. I'll grab the other unit. Then we'll chat with the Earth forces here after cleanup."

He grabbed Cagalli and pulled her away before Kira could say anything. Kira frowned and ran across the catwalk, looking down at the warzone engulfing his home. He noticed a ZAFT soldier taking a position behind the Earth forces, taking aim. "Behind you!" He yelled, hoping it was enough.

One of the officers must have heard, because she dropped and turned around just as the ZAFT trooper fired. The bullets missed, and Earth forces fired a burst from her rifle, hitting him right in the chest. She pushed her brown hair out of her face and looked up at him. "Get down here!"

"I'm heading towards the shelter, don't worry!" He said, not wanting to announce he was taking the other prototype.

"There's only a door left there!" She replied, and Kira fell over as the side of the building behind him blew.

On the other end of the facility, Alex was calmly walking through the wreckage, his gun out. As a group of ZAFT soldiers rounded the corner, Alex quickly brought up his gun. He fired slowly as he kept walking towards them. One of the rounds went clean through the visor, and the man's head snapped back, blood smearing the interior of the visor. When the gun came up empty, Alex broke into a run, holstering it as he body slammed the next soldier.

The man responded by trying to club Alex with his rifle. Alex grinned and slammed his elbow into the side of the gun, knocking it away. He delivered a quick neck chop which made the ZAFT soldier back away, then Alex kicked him in the groin hard. When he doubled over, Alex pulled out his knife and brought it down right onto his spine. The body jerked suddenly and fell to the ground. Alex knelt down and pressed a hand to his neck, checking for a pulse. There was one. He pulled out the knife and quickly moved forward as the second trooper finally reloaded. Alex shot his arm out, the knife flying at him. It struck the shoulder, and the soldier fired wildly, screaming. Alex ran forward and dropped onto the ground, sliding towards an abandoned rifle. He grabbed it and quickly swung up, firing another short burst. The invader's body jerked upwards and fell to the ground.

Alex sighed and stood up, looking around. When he looked past the prototype he was supposed to steal, he saw that a soldier had gotten past him and was moving towards Kira and the prototype he was supposed to grab. "Ah, shit!" He yelled, running back.

Kira was shocked when the Earth forces officer took a round to her shoulder. He ran to her and helped her up, keeping a hand pressed to her wound. "It'll be okay," he said. He looked up as the trooper rushed at him, and he caught a glimpse of his eyes. "Athrun?!" He yelled, shocked.

The ZAFT soldier stopped dead in his tracks, shocked at who he saw. "Kira?!"

The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. The Alliance officer raised her weapon and Athrun jumped back. Then the world went sideways.

Alex tackled the soldier.

"Don't! It's Athrun!" Kira yelled.

Alex froze as Athrun rolled away and assumed a defensive position. He looked at Alex, once again at a loss for words.

"You ZAFT now, bracie?" Alex asked, his voice filled venom. "killing civilians is your idea of having fun?"

"No, Alex, we're here because the Earth forces-"

He was cut off as Alex rushed him, throwing a punch right at his helmet. Athrun sidestepped and responded with a low kick that connected with Alex's ankle. Alex cried out and nearly lost his balance, but spun quickly, launching his right foot straight at Athrun's chest. "Always an excuse for ZAFT, isn't there?" He snarled. "A neutral colony? And you never bothered to question it. You just followed orders, and here you are?!"

Athrun was shocked as the words cut right to his heart. Alex took his stunned silence and rushed forward. Athrun backpedaled, going on the defensive as Alex threw punch after punch at him.

"Alex, enough! We have to get out of here!" Kira yelled. Alex stopped and jumped back as the Earth forces officer got her bearings back and fired at Athrun. The young man retreated and Alex stood there, breathing hard. His fists were still clenched, his body shaking with fury. He turned around and walked back towards Kira.

"You two know that soldier?" The woman asked.

"Oh, yeah," Alex said. He pointed a thumb behind him. "That was my cousin, Athrun Zala."

"You-you're a-"

"Yeah, a coordinator," Alex said before she could continue. "Kira, get her in the mobile suit and start it up. I'll rush over to the other one and-"

He stopped as he heard a loud creaking noise, followed by a massive crash. He turned around and saw that Athrun had gotten the prototype up and running. "Oh, joy," he said sarcastically. He watched as the gray machine stood up. He looked at Kira. "Kira! Now!"

The Earth forces officer heard him and pushed him into the cockpit before jumping in after him. The hatch closed as Alex rushed forward. "Hey, wait a minute!"

The mobile suit lurched and Alex groaned as he rocked from side to side, trying to keep his balance. He jumped off, landing on top of a supply truck. He groaned and rolled over onto his back. He winced as he pulled his head up a bit to look at the machine. It pushed itself off the ground, its legs bending in as it stood up for the first time.

When the machine was fully standing, the warehouse behind them exploded as the gas main blew. Alex rolled off the side and grabbed the edge, hoping the debris missed him.

War had officially reached Heliopolis.

* * *

Author's Note: So begins my latest Cosmic Era tale. This is my latest attempt at the Gundam SEED AU. As for the long absence, I basically burned myself out writing multiple stories simultaneously. I've tried to write several gundam stories over the years, ranging from Universal Century, to Cosmic Era, and even an all-original universe story. That's not including original works that I started with a friend that slowly deteriorated even though we had some great ideas. And then I just never had time. But Gundam SEED still bugged me, in the sense that I felt I never managed to write the story I wanted to. I was too afraid to really alter anything from SEED canon. This will not be the case here. The story will drastically change within the next few chapters, which is why it will take me a while to write this. There will be new gundam units in this story, but I'm still working on them. I personally think they're worse than the Ark's Flight units. I'm considering just bringing some of those units back. In addition to Alex, Zero and the other Numbers will be back, too, but I have to figure out where and when the best time to bring them in is. Reviews are welcome, I've been out of this for a while, so any suggestions are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2: The Name is Gundam

Chapter 2: The name is Gundam

The GINN used its reverse thrusters to evade the enemy mobile armor's missiles before firing a burst from its rifle. The rounds tore the Earth Alliance machine apart and it exploded, it's pilot gone in an instant. It turned around and looked at Heliopolis, knowing that within its walls, a ZAFT team was in the middle of an extraction. What it's pilot didn't know was that the mission was not a complete success.

Inside its walls, an evacuation order was being repeated, the voice amplified so much that those closest to the broadcast station winced. "A level 8 evacuation order has been issued for all of Heliopolis. Residents are to make their way to the nearest evacuation center. I repeat, a level 8-"

Tolle was ahead of the group and stopped, the others nearly knocking him over as they looked at the sight in front of them.

The warehouse district had just seemingly gone up in smoke, and an angry cloud of black and red smoke rose, so much that the roads ahead were completely invisible. Sai groaned and adjusted his glasses. "What do we do now, Tolle?"

"Look!"

"Up there!"

They looked up above dust and smoke, eyes widening as two mobile suits exited the smog. Both were gray, though one was a darker shade than the other. It landed behind a GINN and looked around. Inside the machine, Athrun Zala activated his communications network.

"Miguel," he said.

The GINN stopped firing and turned to face him. _"Athrun,"_ he heard over the comm. _"Glad you got out."_

"Rusty failed," Athrun said, gritting his teeth.

 _"What?"_

Athrun heard the shock in his voice. "An Earth forces officer managed to get the unit up," he said. _And two people I care for very much may now become our enemies because we didn't wait for the Earth Forces to just leave._

As he said this, the second mobile suit, with Kira in it, landed awkwardly and attempted to keep itself upright, moving forward with slow, but choppy steps. Alex winced as he watched the machine's movements.

 _The OS probably hasn't even been calibrated yet. These things were clearly nowhere near ready for combat. At least not before ZAFT's insertion team got them,_ he thought.

Inside the remaining Earth Alliance prototype, Murrue Ramius, lieutenant of the Earth Alliance, struggled to keep the last prototype moving. She reached over and activated the remaining cameras, which gave her and Kira a better view of their surroundings.

Kira's eyes widened as he saw his friends running away from the carnage before them, and also saw Alex. He watched as his friend pushed a piece of debris away from himself and slowly crawled off the truck he was laying on. _The explosion must have thrown him there,_ Kira thought. His thoughts were interrupted as the Alliance mobile suit found itself under fire by the GINN. It fired relentlessly at the ground around them. Kira reached up and held the sides of the cockpit. He didn't want to cause problems by falling on the console.

"I'll try to stay out of your way," he said sarcastically. "Just don't get us killed."

Murrue shook her head. The boy had every right to be angry about the situation, but she had to focus. She watched as the GINN drew its sword and assumed a combat stance.

"I'll capture that unit," Miguel broadcast to Athrun. "Get yours out of here." He pushed the stick forward, and the GINN rushed at the prototype.

Athrun tightened his grip on the controls. He was conflicted. _Alex, Kira. No, it couldn't be. Why were they there? Were they helping the Earth Forces? Kira would never…_

He shook his head pulled up the OS program, typing furiously to rewrite the system.

Miguel's GINN came at the mobile suit at full speed, and Murrue grimaced as it approached. She hit the thrusters, and the mobile suit leapt out of the way, its body twisting as it did so, to keep track of the GINN.

Alex had finally gotten to his feet, and he winced as he straightened his back. "That…really…hurt," he groaned. He looked at the battle unfolding. The GINN rushed the Earth Forces mobile suit again, but this time, something else happened.

As the GINN leapt, holding the sword above its head with both of its arms, the Alliance prototype did two things. First, its gray body shimmered for several seconds, quickly shifting from that dull color to a dual color setting. White for its arms and legs, and blue for the main body. Second, it raised its arms above its head, the sword crashing against them.

Alex watched as sparks flew from the contact point, the armor undamaged, even though the sword attempted to cleave its way through. "I'll be damned," he said quietly. "Phase shift armor. Looks like they worked out the kinks." He'd heard of the research on it, of course. He'd been looking into it, as well. He hoped this wasn't the only successful attempt in the field.

Miguel cursed as the machine blocked his attacked, and he pulled back. "Damn it, what's with this thing? Its armor is-"

 _"It looks like they're equipped with phase shift armor,"_ Athrun sent over the comm. _"Once activated, physical attacks are rendered useless."_

Athrun activated his machine's phase shift, the unit slowly turning red. He turned its head to the side as he got a warning signal. He thumbed the trigger, firing the machine's CIWS. The rounds struck the incoming missiles, blasting them away. He turned the machine to the right and fired again, this time hitting a weapons jeep heading towards him.

 _"Get out of here, Athrun! There's no reason for you to stick around!"_ Miguel sent over the comm.

Athrun took a deep breath and looked at the blue and white machine they failed to steal. He saw Kira's face in his mind for a brief moment, then he activated his thrusters. The machine lifted away and headed for the sky.

Alex sighed as he watched it fly away. "See you soon, Athrun," he said. "Hopefully I'll have a mobile suit of my own then. It'll be useful in teaching you a lesson." He looked back at the GINN, which had now launched and was flying right at the mobile suit. Then something clicked. "Wait a second. Cagalli!"

Inside, Kira watched as the lieutenant opened fire with the CIWS. However, the rounds went right past the GINN. Kira's eyes widened as he realized the problem. _This unit is still…_

He stopped as the GINN blew past them, then struck them from behind. As the lieutenant turned the machine, Kira watched as they came to face with the GINN just as it struck again, this time bringing the swords down on the chest, striking so hard the mobile suit toppled backwards and smashed into a building.

Alex grabbed his own hair in frustration as he watched the prototype fall and smash into another building. "Really, it's movement is that terrible?!" He screamed to no one in particular. He then started walking, looking around. "Cagalli?! Where are you?"

"A Natural in a mobile suit?" Miguel snickered. "What a joke." He pulled the controls back, making the GINN assume an attack stance.

In an instant, Kira reached over the lieutenant and hit a key on the bottom of the console, then quickly pulled the left stick back. The machine ducked, the sword grazing the shoulder, but causing no damage. It then instantly pushed off towards the GINN, smashing its right shoulder into its center mass.

The GINN was thrown back, slamming back first into the ground, its sword flying. Alex whistled, then quickly threw himself to the ground as the sword struck the ground hard not far from him.

Kira activated the OS screen, looking over it. "There are still people here! If you're gonna pilot something like this, put some effort into it, will you?!" He said forcefully.

He looked over the menu, noticing the bare bones display and lack of options for, well, anything really.

"How do you expect to use a complex machine like this with a rudimentary program of this kind?" He asked, shocked.

"Well, it's not finished yet, so there's nothing we can do about it!" The officer replied, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Alex began running towards the battle, keeping his eyes on the GINN. He was surprised to see the prototype perform the attack it had with such ease. After the way it had been struggling earlier, it had appeared to be barely functional. _Kira's gotta be in there now. Only way,_ he thought. _As for the princess, I'll have to keep an eye-oh, there she is._

Cagalli was trying to get closer to the battle, watching the two units. Alex grabbed her by the arm. "You're coming with me, princess," he said.

Cagalli threw a punch at his face, and despite the pain he was already dealing with, he quickly ducked under it, going behind her and wrapping her other arm behind her back. "Not the time," he hissed.

Meanwhile, Kira had just switched places with the officer, quickly bringing up the OS. He entered command mode on the screen and began typing furiously, his fingers a blur. The lieutenant was shocked at what she was seeing.

Alex saw the GINN rush in again, but this time, the Earth Forces prototype raised its head quickly and fired the CIWS accurately, peppering the GINN. He pulled Cagalli away, all the while trying to keep her secure.

The ZAFT machine responded by swinging its sword right at its head. But Kira was a step ahead of him. He pulled back the controls slightly, tilting the machine's body back just enough for the sword to miss, while it's right arm was cocked back. He then threw the right stick forward, and the prototype lurched forward, driving its fist right into the GINN's head.

The GINN flew back and was knocked over into a building. Kira looked at the OS and went to work.

"Take the calibrations and reset the zero moment point and CPG. Then connect the control module directly to the molecular ion pump," Kira muttered to himself as his hands flew over the console, hitting the keys so quickly they seemed a blur. "Reconstruct the neural linkage network, renew meta active field, reactivate feed forward controls, convey function."

Murrue watched in fascination as the boy next to her completely rewrote the Alliance OS in record time. She had her suspicions as to what he was, but she said nothing. It would only cause problems at this point in time.

Miguel finally managed to get his GINN up, and he glared at the Alliance prototype. "What? How's his movement so good all of a sudden?"

Alex looked at the Strike and started yelling. "Kira! Kira!" He waved at the machine.

Murrue noticed, and she shook Kira's shoulders. "Look!"

Kira looked at the side monitor, noticing Alex immediately. Murrue activated the audio sensors and tuned them towards Alex.

"Don't destroy the GINN! Neutralize it and grab the pilot!" He yelled.

"How are we to-"

Murrue was cut off as the GINN pulled its rifle out and fired. The rounds struck them head on, and while they caused no damage thanks to the phase shift, they were still rocked violently from side to side.

Kira hit the thrusters, sending the machine to the sky. The GINN followed, firing. Kira didn't dodge the incoming fire whatsoever.

"Ugh!" Murrue yelled, wincing. "Why aren't you evading?!"

"If I dodge, those bullets are going to hit the colony!" Kira replied. "If he runs out of ammo, we might have a chance to disable him!"

Alex looked up at the sky, watching the two behemoths circle each other. "Come on, Kira," he muttered. "Show these guys who we are."

"Let me go!" Cagalli yelled. "Are you really this stubborn, that you'd care more about capturing me than helping your friend?!"

"Quite right," he said, then he headbutted her. Her head snapped back and he caught her before she fell. He leaned forward and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her behind a building. After he'd carefully set her down, he ran back towards the battle.

Kira activated the weapons module. Only two options came up.

"Armor Schneider and Igelstelung. That's all you've got?!" He asked, shocked. He quickly chose the armor Schneider setting and the hip joints lit up on the mobile suit technical display. The machine pulled the weapons as it landed. Kira instantly threw the machine into a run, going right for the GINN.

Miguel fired at the prototype again, but Kira didn't slow down or change direction. He kept the machine on a direct course for the GINN.

Alex rushed forward, as well. He hoped Kira saw him and acted accordingly. They'd have one shot at this.

As the Strike came up to the GINN, Alex quickly ran towards a supply truck and leapt up, kicking off the bumper and landing on the hood. He rushed forward, climbing onto the top of the truck before leaping onto the back. He stood up just in time to see Kira stab the GINN on its lower arms, disrupting their mobility. Without stopping, the machine pulled the GINN to the side and brought it to the ground next to the truck. Alex leapt just as the GINN crashed. He landed on the side of the arm and pressed his left hand on it to steady himself before running for the cockpit. With a snarl, he jumped up again and just barely grabbed the hatch. With a hiss, it blew open, and he reached up and pulled himself into it.

Miguel panicked and reached down to activate the self-destruct, only to get knocked back hard as Alex leapt over the controls, slamming his feet into Miguel's chest. Miguel cried out in pain and clutched his chest as Alex fell onto the console and fell back, yelling in pain and clutching his back as he stood up.

"Ow! Shit! That was not supposed to happen!" He yelled, wincing. He turned back towards Miguel and leaned over the console, powering the GINN down. He slowly crawled towards the hatch, pulling himself out with some difficulty. He was breathing hard, but glanced at the Alliance machine and gave a thumbs up.

* * *

Down below in the headquarters, ensign Natarle Badgiruel awoke. She was floating in a darkened hallway. Her memory came back to the incident as the lifeless body of another Alliance officer floated in front of her.

She carefully pushed the body away before looking around. "Is anyone else alive?" She yelled, hearing only the echo of her own voice. "Where's the _Archangel_?" She pushed off the ground and headed down the hall.

* * *

Outside the colony, Mu La Flaga threw his Moebius Zero into a hard turn, evading the GINN's fire. He contacted the Marseilles III vessel that had brought him here. "Get out of here, captain! The difference in firepower is too great!"

 _"I won't retreat without a fight!"_

Mu cursed. "That ship of yours might as well be a paper airplane to these GINNs!" He yelled. "Escape while you can!"

 _"I'm countermanding Alliance protocol and sending you some help,"_ he said. _"We may have brought this on ourselves, but Heliopolis doesn't deserve the lashing it's about to receive! I'm sending them in!"_

"Them?" Mu asked, pulling up as the GINN tried to cut his mobile armor in half. The ZAFT mobile suit tried to follow, but Mu activated his mobile armor's wired gunbarrels, which shot out to the sides and fired simultaneously, hitting the GINN's arms.

Mu cut his thrusters and threw the unit into a one eighty, firing his main cannon. The shot blew the GINN's right arm clean off.

A small shuttle jettisoned away from the Marseilles III ship, heading into the Heliopolis port. Mu didn't receive any kind of communications from it.

 _I sure hope they can help secure Heliopolis,_ Mu thought. _Because if they can't, we're really gonna be in trouble._

The Marseille III vessel suddenly exploded as a round from the GINN struck its engine block.

* * *

"Olor has succeeded is destroying the transport."

Rau le Creuset smiled as he heard the news.

"However, he has taken heavy damage."

"Olor's been hit? In this kind of battle?" Captain Ades asked, surprised.

"It appears we have some pesky fly buzzing around," Rau said quietly. "Any news from Miguel?"

"No, sir," Ades replied, looking back at him.

Rau frowned. They had attacked Heliopolis without confirmation of an Alliance presence, and even worse, they had failed to acquire all the prototypes. Heliopolis was a neutral entity. Even if they admitted to harboring, and building, Alliance mobile suit prototypes, Rau had jumped the gun with the attack. It was one thing to just send in a team to steal the units. It was another matter entirely to openly attack the facility and then start a mobile suit battle with civilians around. Clyne would have a field day with this.

"We can't just leave the last prototype there," Rau said, getting out of his chair and heading for the door.

* * *

Natarle was shocked at the amount of damage here. It looked as if a battle had raged within the walls. There was debris everywhere. Visibility was just good enough to see that. She reached out and grabbed an Alliance cap that floated in front of her. She clutched it tightly. "Damn it!" She yelled. "Is there anyone else alive?"

She heard a thumping then, to her side, and she turned. A door blew open and she winced as a light was aimed at her. She covered her eyes.

"Lieutenant Badgiruel? Thank God you're alive!"

* * *

Mu hit his reverse thrusters as he saw the signal lights. "A retreat, huh?" He muttered, watching the ZAFT mobile suits fly back to their ships. "There's still something…"

He turned his mobile armor around and headed towards the blip on his sensor.

* * *

Inside Heliopolis, the Alliance prototype, which Kira had just learned was called the Strike, knelt on the ground as Alex limped towards the large tent Miriallia had set up to shade the Alliance officer from the sun as she recovered. He'd just moved the GINN across from the Strike, and had tied Miguel up. He'd seen no reason to be gentle, and he was sure Miguel would be incredibly uncomfortable when he woke. On the way back, he picked Cagalli up, who had finally woken up, and now sported a mild bruise on her forehead.

Kira exited the Strike and walked to the tent, looking at Alex as he did. Alex held an arm up and gave a small smile.

As the officer tried to sit up, Miriallia gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You should rest," Kira said. "I'd apologize, but I have no reason to," he said, narrowing his eyes at Murrue.

"Would you like some water?" Miriallia asked, holding a water bottle.

"Thank you," Murrue said weakly. Kira pulled her up and Murrue took a sip. Alex walked over and took a seat at the table.

"You alright, Alex?" Kira asked.

"Nothing I haven't felt before," he answered, rubbing his shoulder and wincing. "Doesn't mean I like the feeling."

"Alex," Miriallia said. "You're wounded. And who's the girl?"

Alex looked down. Sure enough, the bleeding had slowed, but it hadn't stopped. Cagalli was surprised he'd been able to stay up the whole time.

"The girl is Cagalli Yula Attha," he said, drawing a few gasps. "And the wound isn't as bad as it could've been."

Sai walked over and put an arm around Alex, pulling him towards the bench. Alex sat down and looked at Sai. "Grab my backpack, will you?"

Sai went over and retrieved it as Alex took his shirt off. The wound was a deep red, and Alex sighed as he threw the shirt on the ground. He held a hand out. "Gimme the vodka."

"You're kidding, right?" Sai asked, eyes wide.

Alex chuckled. "Yes, I'm serious. I'm not gonna chug it, I swear."

Sai reached into the bag and took the bottle out. He handed it to Alex, who nodded his thanks, and then pulled the cap off. "Now get me a rag."

Sai went over by Miriallia and grabbed one of the towels she had to help treat the Alliance officer. He walked back and gave it to Alex. Alex pressed the rag to the bottle and tipped it, soaking it in vodka. He quickly turned it back and set the bottle down, then took a deep breath. "I hate this part," he said, looking at Sai.

He pressed it to his wound hard, wincing as the alcohol did its work. Even though the wound was cauterized, he knew there was a small chance of infection. He wasn't gonna risk it, coordinator or not.

Sai grabbed a medical kit Miriallia had found somewhere, and pulled out an adhesive pack. He gave it to Alex, who quickly patched himself up. When he was done, he grabbed the shirt and put it on again.

"Wow, this Gundam thing is amazing!"

Alex closed his eyes and groaned. "Damn it," he muttered, and looked up. Tolle and Kuzzey were up in the Strike's cockpit, in awe of the machine.

"But it's not moving now," Kuzzey muttered. "And why'd it turn gray again?"

"Stop messing around, guys!" Sai yelled. "It's not a toy!"

"Truer words have not been spoken," Alex said, clapping Sai on the back. "Thanks for the help," he told him. He then turned his attention to the two boys in the Strike. "Get out of there, guys! Before you do something really stupid."

"Get away from that machine!" Murrue yelled, getting up. She grabbed her weapon and fired at the Strike. The bullet harmlessly bounced off the armor, but it still shocked Tolle and Kuzzey.

She walked towards the mobile suit, weapons aimed at the two boys. Kira ran up to her as Alex casually pulled his knife out.

"Stop it!" Kira said, grabbing Murrue by the shoulder. "They're the ones who carried you out while you were unconscious!" He told her. He froze when he found himself staring down the barrel of the gun.

"You really don't wanna do that," Alex said, his voice soft and cold. Sai and the others looked at him in surprise. They'd never heard him speak like that.

Murrue turned the gun on him. "I'm grateful that you saved me," she said. "But that is a top military secret. It's not something civilians should be allowed to touch thoughtlessly!"

"Whose fault is it that it's here?" Alex asked loudly. "Who brought those units here? Who set up shop here, thinking nothing of all the innocent people who live here? Oh, that's right!" He said, snapping his fingers. "You! And your superiors!"

"And Kira was just piloting it a while ago," Tolle said, holding an arm out.

Murrue turned the gun at him. "All of you, move over here."

Sai, Tolle, and Kuzzey all slowly moved towards Kira. Miriallia stood behind Kira, clutching his arm in fear. He grabbed her hand and smiled reassuringly. Murrue turned the gun on Alex. "I said, move."

"Yes, miss bitch," Alex said, cheerfully, saluting. "Right away, miss bitch."

Tolle snickered, and even Kuzzey couldn't fully hide his smile. Alex stood next to them, shrugging his shoulders as they looked at them.

"Your names, all of you," Murrue demanded.

"Sai Argyle."

"Kuzzey Buskirk."

"Tolle Koenig."

"Miriallia Haw."

Murrue turned the gun towards Kira and Alex.

"Kira Yamato," he said, anger etched on his face.

"Aleksander Kolodziej," Alex said, holding his head high.

Murrue's eyes widened, and the grip on her gun tightened. "What's one of ZAFT's supreme aces doing out here?" She asked, shocking everyone.

Alex sighed, a smile on his face. "Well, you see, I was sidetracked from the road of life, by, as usual, a beautiful woman who taught me-"

Murrue raised the gun and fired once, and everyone but Alex visibly jumped. She aimed the gun at his head. "Think twice before you joke around," she said.

Alex returned her harsh look. "Right back at you," he said. "I left the war, which you've brought to our doorstep. Good enough for you?"

Murrue sighed. "My name is Murrue Ramius. I'm an officer with the Earth Alliance forces."

"Shocker," Alex whispered to Tolle.

"I hate to say this, but I cannot allow you to leave," Murrue said, and everyone stared at her in shock.

Alex, however just made a clicking sound with his tongue and crossed his arms. "Might want to rethink that."

Murrue narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Let me guess," Alex said, putting a hand on his chin. "'Despite the circumstances behind the occurrence, the fact is you've seen military secrets. I'll have to detain you until I contact the proper authorities and receive further instructions'. Right?"

Murrue nodded.

"Oh, this is fine, guys," Alex said, looking at them. "The alert won't stay on forever. When everyone goes back to their homes, they're gonna wonder what happened to us. Since our bodies will be nowhere to be found, people will start to wonder. Then they'll hear about the attack on the facility here, they'll put two and two together. Then they'll start asking questions. What's the Alliance gonna do then? It'll be a PR nightmare. Right?" He asked, looking at Murrue.

Murrue grimaced. He had a point.

"We're citizen of Heliopolis!" Sai yelled defiantly. "We're neutral! We have nothing to do with the military!"

"Why are the Earth forces here, anyway?" Kuzzey asked. "It makes no sense!"

"Actually, it does," Alex said. He looked at them, then back at Murrue. "If they built these things on an Alliance base on Earth and ZAFT attacked, the secret's out, and no way the Alliance can cover it up. Build on a neutral colony, though-"

He stopped and looked at his friends.

"What?" Sai asked.

"If ZAFT finds out, the Alliance can feign ignorance, say something like 'it was a rogue operation, and we had no knowledge of such a situation occurring on the colony'. Right?" He asked, smirking.

Once again, Murrue had to admit the young man had a point. "You never answered my question. What are you doing here?"

"Running from the likes of you," Alex answered. "The war was getting pretty nasty. And after you pigs bombed Junius Seven, I knew things were really going to escalate. And now we're here."

"Hey! Alliance bitch!" A voice suddenly yelled.

The group turned to see Miguel Aiman lying on his stomach, Cagalli sitting on his back, a gun pointed at Murrue's head.

"Mind putting that down?" Cagalli asked.

"Yeah, please do, otherwise she's never gonna get off me, and I'm having trouble breathing," Miguel groaned.

Alex laughed. "You're in a bind, now. And I'm not talking about you, Aiman."

"Screw you, you traitor!" Miguel managed.

"Language," Alex replied. "You're the one who entered our home without permission. Now, back to you," he said, turning towards Murrue again.

"We're in the middle of a war!" Murrue said. "Between the PLANTs and Earth! Naturals and coordinators! A world outside your own."

"Hey, Kira, tell her what you are," Alex said, leaning to one side.

"I'm a first-generation coordinator," Kira told her.

"No way!" Miguel yelled. "Why are you with the Earth forces?!" He started struggling again, and Cagalli growled and pressed the gun to his head.

"Quit moving!" She yelled. When he stopped, she looked at Alex. "I suppose now you're gonna tell them who I am."

"Yup," Alex said. "This is Cagalli Yula Attha. I already told all of you that bit of news, but I'm guessing it flew over your heads since miss bitch was wounded and Tolle and Kuzzey were screwing around with the prototype."

"What are you doing here?" Murrue asked. "ORB is-"

"I know what ORB is, better than you!" Cagalli yelled at her, venom in her voice.

* * *

Outside the colony, Mu La Flaga made his way cautiously through Heliopolis' port entrance. He noticed the CGUE just as it opened fire on him.

"Is that you, Le Creuset?" Mu asked, groaning as he sent his machine into a spin. The CGUE gave chase, still firing its rifle.

"You're always getting in the way, La Flaga! Though I suspect you think the same of me!" Rau said. Rau maneuvered his CGUE slightly, and then accelerated. He flew straight into Heliopolis' construction area.

"Damn, he went in!" Mu groaned. He tugged on the controls, and the Moebius Zero turned, sending him on the same path Rau took.

* * *

Natarle surveyed the interior damage on the _Archangel_ , the newest Alliance vessel, and the intended carrier for the G-weapons.

"The _Archangel_ is quite the ship," she said in admiration. "It'll take a lot more than this to take it down."

"However, the dock exit is blocked. There's a substantial amount of debris in the way," ensign Arnold Neumann told her.

Natarle activated the communications channel, and heard nothing but static. "I really shouldn't be surprised that the airwaves are still jammed," she said, shaking her head. "Does that mean this was just a diversion? Was Morgenroete the real target? Damn it! What's the situation? What's the status on the g-weapons?"

"05…rike…ere…for…please resp…"

Natarle looked up in shock. Someone else had survived.

* * *

"This is the X-105 Strike. Any Earth forces in the area, please respond," Kira said for what felt like the millionth time.

"Remind me again why we're contacting the Earth forces," Cagalli said to Alex. "And why I haven't shot you yet."

"To answer the first question, because we need their help. For now," Alex explained. "The second is because I'll kill you before you get a shot off."

Cagalli snorted. "As if. You can't-"

Alex threw his ZAFT-issued knife in the blink of an eye. It missed her, burying itself in a tree behind her. Cagalli's mouth was wide open in shock. "You do know who I am?!" She suddenly shrieked.

"Yeah, I do," Alex said, looking back at the Strike. "And I don't care. If you're here, it means you had your misgivings about ORB's involvement in this crisis."

"Well, yeah," Cagalli replied. "We're supposed to be neutral, and yet my father-"

"Still did this?" Alex interrupted. He shook his head. "Attha had nothing to do with this. He may be the leader, and known as the 'Lion of ORB', but at the end of the day, he has a cabinet who helps him make the decisions. His hands may have been tied."

"So he should have pulled rank!" Cagalli growled. "Instead of letting those idiots tell him what to do!"

Alex scoffed. "And cause a civil war in the process? Genius plan. That's just what ORB needs right now. A divide between its own people that will make it that much easier for the Alliance to move in."

Cagalli was about to reply, but Sai pulled up next to the Strike in a large trailer. "This is the one, right?" He asked as he got out of the vehicle.

"Yep," Alex replied. "The number four trailer. Thanks."

"What are you doing with it?" Sai asked, glancing at Murrue.

"I'm sure she would've wanted the number five trailer," Alex said. "That was the one that had an Agni impulse cannon, along with a 120mm Vulcan gun and 2 350mm gun launcher for the shoulder mounts."

Murrue looked at him in surprise.

"I checked the specs, it's no big deal," Alex explained, shrugging. "The launcher configuration had a bit too much power for me to allow it to be used here." He looked at Kira. "Any luck with the broadcast?"

Kira shook his head. "No. Nothing."

Alex walked over to Miriallia who was sitting next to Tolle. They both looked tired. The adrenaline had worn off, and now they were crashing. He was surprised Sai wasn't feeling it, as even Kuzzey was beginning to doze off.

"Try them again, Kira," Alex said.

* * *

Rau pulled the trigger again, hoping he would actually hit the target this time. No such luck, as Mu expertly maneuvered the Mobius Zero and it's wired gunbarrels out of the way before returning fire.

Rau pulled back, and the CGUE moved behind a wall section. Mu cursed as he flew past it, keeping an eye on where the CGUE had been. He was shocked when the machine pulled up in front of him, opening fire and hitting the gunbarrels.

Mu quickly ejected them and dove down, the explosion sending smoke everywhere. Rau was once again hidden from his eyes and sensors.

* * *

"You want to launch the ship?" Arnold asked in shock. "That's not impossible with the few people we have on this ship!"

"If you have time to argue, you have time to find a way to get it done!" Natarle said sharply. "Morgenroete could still be under attack! Are you suggesting we just stay here and ignore what's going on out there?"

"I found them!"

Natarle turned and saw the three young men standing ready. "Take a seat! Just follow the computer's instructions!"

They quickly sat down and started their preflight checklists.

"The ZAFT vessels are still out there!" Arnold warned her. "We're in no position to fight."

"I know that!" Natarle barked. "Prepare to fire the assault cannons as we launch. You can do it, right?"

Arnold grimaced, but sat down in the pilot seat.

"Begin takeoff sequence!" Natarle ordered. "Due to the emergency situation we find ourselves in, we'll omit C-30 to L-21 from the process! Main power online!"

The ship rumbled as they started her up.

"Output increase stable. Four hundred fifty seconds to required rating."

"Too long!" Natarle replied. "What's the status on Heliopolis' conduits?"

"Undamaged!"

"Draw power from them!" She ordered. "Conduits online! Relay power to the accumulator!"

"Confirming connection! Flow stabilized, twenty seconds to required rating! Life support systems online! CIC online!"

"Weapons systems online, as well! FCS contact," Arnold said. "Magnetic field chamber and pellet dispenses idling stable."

"External shock dampener at maximum output!"

"All _Archangel_ systems online! Preparation for takeoff complete!"

"Seal all airtight bulkheads," Natarle said. "All hands, be prepared for impact and possible damage to the ship. Proceed slowly." She took a deep breath. " _Archangel,_ launch!"

The battleship slowly moved forward.

* * *

Rau once again evaded the blasts coming from the gunbarrels, kicking one as it passed him. The force from the hit crumpled the weapon, and it exploded as its core went critical.

"This is not going well," Mu said to himself as he fired on le Creuset again.

* * *

The Strike knelt down as the trailer behind it opened, revealing a large anti-ship sword, a rocket anchor, and a beam boomerang attached to a shoulder mount.

"So, I just install these and I'm set?" Kira asked.

"Yeah," Alex said loudly, so he could hear. "Better than something that could cause damage if you miss! The worst that'll happen with this, you lose your balance."

Kira nodded and went back in the cockpit.

"So, why's he with the Earth forces?" Miguel asked. Cagalli sighed and looked at him.

Alex walked towards him and knelt down, hooking an arm under his, since he was tied up. "He's not," he explained, pulling Miguel up. "He's been living here for some time now. Then you guys messed everything up by attacking. He had no choice."

"He should have joined ZAFT," Miguel said, looking at Alex. "The Naturals-"

"Aren't the problem," Alex finished. He let go of his arm and sighed. "Why didn't Creuset wait?"

"What?" Miguel asked, confused.

"The ship was departing in a few days anyway," Alex said, pointing at the spaceport. "Why didn't le Creuset wait? To try to drum up support by making the people of Heliopolis look like victims after treating them like they were the instigators?"

Not far away, Miriallia, Kuzzey, and Sai stood by the trailer, talking.

"I guess the evacuation order's still in effect," Miriallia said, hearing the sirens still going off in the distance.

"I hope everyone got to the shelters okay," Sai said.

"I just want to go home," Kuzzey whined, closing his eyes.

The three looked up as they heard an explosion. Above them, a support tower was blown apart, a grey mobile suit flying out of it, followed by a red mobile armor.

"Mobile suits!" Murrue cried.

Rau noticed the last Earth forces prototype sitting by the trailer, and smiled. "How convenient." He changed course, and the ZAFT unit flew straight at the trailer.

Kira pushed the controls forward as he thumbed the trigger, and the Strike pulled its anti-ship sword as the CGUE passed it.

Rau smashed the controls to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade in time. The Mobius Zero flew past the prototype firing at the CGUE. He was surprised the Strike was up and running.

Alex and Cagalli grabbed Miguel and pulled him towards the trailer.

"Don't you have a mobile suit?" Cagalli asked Alex. "You're a ZAFT ace pilot!"

"Former, for-mer, get it right," Alex said, shaking his head. "My mobile suit's still a ways from here."

"But you have one?" Cagalli asked.

Alex sighed. "Yeah. Lemme just bring it here with my mind," he said, pressing his index fingers to the sides of his skull. "Yeah, yeah, no, not happening," he said, looking at her and lowering his arms.

Up above, the CGUE pulled its sword and cleaved the Mobius Zero's main weapon off its front.

"Damn it!" Mu spat.

The CGUE made a beeline for the Strike again. "I'll take you down here and now," he vowed.

As he swung, the Strike responded in kind, and the blades collided, sparks flying as the Strike's sword had an energy edge that was slowly eating away at the CGUE's blade.

Kira activated his phase shift, and the Strike quickly shifted from the dull grey to the white and blue color scheme. He pushed the controls forward, and the Strike shifted its weight, pushing the CGUE away.

"So much strength," Rau muttered. He pulled back and aimed his rifle at the Strike.

The ground shook then, and Rau looked around, watching as the entire side of the compound seemed to explode. His eyes widened as he saw the Alliance warship.

"Never thought I'd say these words, but boy, am I glad the Alliance is here," Alex said with a grin. The tide was beginning to turn.

* * *

Author's note: Wrote this in just two days. Surprising for me, really. Minor changes again, to make way for bigger changes later. Took a while to post because I wanted to make sure it was properly edited. As you can see, Miguel has been captured. What will Rau do about that?


	3. Chapter 3: Defending Heliopolis

Chapter 3: Defending Heliopolis

The Alliance vessel slowly made its way through the smoke, the crew breathing a sigh of relief for getting out of the hangar safely.

"We're now within the colony's interior," Arnold announced.

"Morgenroete has been destroyed!" Jackie Tonomura said. "The Strike has been activated. No, it's in combat!"

Down below, Rau overcame his initial shock and pulled the controls back, pulling away from the Strike. He hit his thrusters and shot up towards the ship.

Natarle's eyes widened as she saw the CGUE coming right at them. "Evade! Starboard!"

Arnold groaned as he turned the controls to the left. The ship was massive, and making it turn that quickly was not easy, as the controls were meant to be handled with careful precision. The _Archangel_ turned a full ninety degrees clockwise, the CIWS rounds striking the side of the ship rather than the bridge.

The CGUE flew past the ship, then quickly doubled back, ejecting the empty clip in its rifle before slapping a new one in. Inside, Rau looked at the screen. _Impressive,_ he thought. _A maneuver like that is no easy feat to accomplish in so short a time. Their crew is very good._

Rather than go back for another run, though, he instead headed right for the Strike. "Phase shift? Then how about this?"

Alex and Cagalli threw themselves on the ground as Rau opened fire. Miguel shut his eyes, as he couldn't move due to his restraints. He hoped this wasn't the end for him.

"Get down!" Murrue yelled to the others, who likewise dove and covered their heads as the sound of gunfire assaulted their eardrums.

Kira moved the Strike in front of them and swung the blade again, the CGUE narrowly avoiding the edge of the weapon. It fired as it passed, the rounds bouncing off the Strike's armor.

Rau grimaced. "So, not even enhanced APSV rounds work?"

As the _Archangel_ rotated back around, Natarle was already issuing orders. "Prepare missile tubes seven to ten for firing! Target the enemy mobile suit!"

Several hatches opened on the rear of the _Archangel_ , revealing missiles.

"Laser designator! Listen!" Natarle said, turning to look at Romero. "Under no circumstances are you to hit the shaft or the ground."

Romero frowned. _You say that, but it's not like that's something I can fully control,_ he thought.

"Fire!"

The missiles launched, targeting the CGUE. Rau groaned as he pulled his machine back, firing at the missiles.

Kira moved the Strike forward and hit the thrusters. The Strike leapt into the air, then climbed as high as it could, firing its own CIWS at the missiles. He watched as the last missile exploded, and cursed. The other three were still heading for the ZAFT mobile suit.

Rau fired again, moving his machine around the Strike. As the remaining two missiles came around, Kira attempted the unthinkable. He worked the controls, and the Strike brought the sword up. Just as the missile was about to hit him, he quickly turned the Strike sideways and brought the sword down, managing to cleave one of the two missiles in half. He grunted as the shock of the explosion rocked his machine, but he saw no damage on the readouts.

"You've got to be kidding!" He yelled, glaring at the _Archangel._

"Who the hell is running that ship?!" Alex yelled, holding an arm out. "Missiles in a colony?!"

"Stupid Naturals!" Miguel yelled.

"Oh, shut it, Aiman!" Alex barked, pointing at him. "This wouldn't be happening at all if you hadn't seen fit to invade in the first place!"

Rau pushed the sticks forward, his CGUE once again coming for the Strike. The Strike cut its thrusters and dropped to the ground, slowing down just before landing. As soon as it did, it swung the sword behind it, catching the CGUE's intended blow. Rau grunted from the force of the impact, but held firm. The Strike turned its torso, the head now looking at him as the Alliance prototype slowly twisted around to fully face its opponent.

Alex watched as the Strike slowly inched forward, pushing the CGUE back. He was even more impressed when the Strike suddenly threw itself forward, knocking the ZAFT machine off balance. As the CGUE turned back and swung its sword, the Strike just stood there, letting the sword hit the machine right in the head. The hit once again jarred machine, and Rau was stunned that the pilot would just stand there. He gripped the controls tightly, trying to keep his machine balanced. The Strike then swung with its own sword, neatly cutting off the right arm.

"Such skill," Rau muttered, then turned back. He hit his thrusters and flew back towards the tunnel he and Mu had come through. He passed the damaged Mobius Zero, glancing at it. _Another time, Mu._

Mu la Flaga breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the Strike lower its weapon. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you later, Creuset."

His sensor beeped then, and he took a look. Something was coming out of the tunnel. "Creuset? No, it can't be," he muttered.

Kira, likewise, heard the warning signal and checked his screens. He activated the camera controls and zoomed in on the tunnel. A small shuttle carefully made its way out and headed for them.

On the _Archangel,_ Natarle froze as she and the crew noticed the shuttle. "CIC! Identify!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Dalida Chandra said, pulling up the information on the shuttle. "Alliance vessel, ma'am. A transport, from the looks of it."

"Land the ship," Natarle ordered. "Adjust speed to match ground rotation. And hail the incoming shuttle. And watch the gravity."

* * *

Outside the colony, the _Vesalius_ and _Gamow_ sat silently, waiting for orders. Inside, Athrun silently sat in the stolen GAT-X303 Aegis, configuring the mobile suit's operating system.

"Interphase, online. Data pass, active. Computer virus injection complete. Team two, remain cautious of power pack polarization."

He drowned out the sounds from outside, his mind going back to the colony. Where he'd seen Kira, and Alex.

"Athrun!"

His head snapped up, surprised. "What?"

"We're done with the external check and recharging," the ZAFT tech told him. "What about you?"

"I'm finished here, as well," Athrun said, pulling the keyboard back to its lock position. "But how did they manage with this OS?"

The techs shrugged.

He was just getting out of his seat when the alert sounded. Athrun sat back in his seat and prepared to strap himself in.

"Commander le Creuset had returned. His mobile suit has suffered a direct hit. Firefighting and relief squads to B deck."

Athrun was shocked. He got up and walked out of the cockpit, looking at the launch door. The CGUE flew in backwards, activating its reverse thrusters before being caught by the crash net.

"The commander's unit lost an arm!" One of the techs said, shocked.

 _Impossible,_ Athrun thought. _But if it was against him…_

* * *

On Heliopolis, the _Archangel_ had finally landed. The Mobius Zero followed suit, carefully flying into the hangar. Mu looked at the Strike, which was kneeling, and lowering its arms to let several civilians on the ground safely.

Behind him, the shuttle landed softly and almost immediately lowered its opened its bay doors.

As Miriallia, Sai, Kuzzey, and Tolle jumped off the Strike's hands, several Alliance officers ran up to them. Cagalli and Alex went last, pulling Miguel with them.

"Lieutenant Ramius!"

Murrue turned to see Natarle. "Ensign Badgiruel."

Natarle saluted. "I'm glad you're safe."

Murrue returned the salute, smiling. "Likewise. I'm pleased to see that you were able to protect the _Archangel_. You saved us."

The Strike's hatch opened then, and Kira stepped out. The crew stared in shock as he casually grabbed the line and lowered himself to the ground.

"What the hell?" Chief Murdoch muttered. "He's only a kid. Don't tell me he was the one piloting it."

"Lieutenant, what's going on?" Natarle asked.

Murrue looked uncomfortable, and was about to respond, when another voice chimed in.

"Wow, what a surprise."

A man wearing a blue and purple flight suit walked up. He had unruly blonde hair, and blue eyes. He smiled as he set his helmet down. "I'm Lieutenant Mu la Flaga, of the Seventh Orbital Fleet. Nice to meet you," he said, saluting.

The others returned the salute, Murrue stepping forward.

"I'm Lieutenant Murrue Ramius of Sector Two, Fifth Special Division," Murrue introduced herself.

"Ensign Natarle Badgiruel, of the same division," Natarle said.

"I'd like authorization to board this ship," Mu said, lowering his arm. "Who's in charge here?"

Natarle's expression was one of sadness. "The captain and all top officers of this ship have perished in battle. Therefore, I believe Lieutenant Ramius has seniority."

Murrue was shocked to hear this.

"Only a dozen or so of us were saved, most of which were noncommissioned officers," Natarle explained. "Thankfully, I was in the shaft, so I was able to escape danger."

They barely noticed the group of soldiers headed their way as they kept talking.

"Well, this is a disaster," Mu said, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Either way, do I have permission to board the ship, Lieutenant Ramius? The ship I came in on was destroyed."

"Of course," Murrue said, nodding. "Permission granted."

"Excuse us, captain, lieutenants."

They turned and stared at the new arrivals. There were five of them, all wearing some kind of combat suit. From first glance, it appeared to be a combination of armor, as well as actual cloth material. In reality, it was next generation assault gear, designed to maximize mobility as well as defense for the wearer. The shoulder pads were thin, and seemed so thin that one could almost swear they weren't there at all. The same went for all the joints. They all had several holsters, but only a few had weapons in them. The helmets were round, and the visors were opaque. The breastplate of the armor only had six letters on it, on the top left corner. STORII.

"So, you guys made it," Mu said, smiling.

Lieutenant Ramius looked at him in surprise. "I'm sorry?"

Mu motioned towards them. "These guys were on the same ship I was. Didn't know they were coming here, though." Then he stopped and thought back for a moment. "You were the reinforcements the captain was talking about?"

The trooper in front nodded. "Yes. We were supposed to be shipped out to Alaska, but that plan was derailed by the attack."

"And who are you?" Natarle asked. "I've never seen Alliance soldiers like yourselves before."

"I'm not surprised," the trooper responded. "We're a pretty well guarded secret."

The five suddenly saluted, surprising everyone.

"We're STORII. Special Tactics Operations of Reconnaissance, Intelligence, and Infiltration," he explained. "You can call me Smith," he said, lowering his arm. He gestured behind him. "These are Johnson, Anderson, Walker, and Taylor."

"No first names?" Mu asked with a smile.

"Classified," Smith said. "Sorry."

"I'm surprised Alliance HQ didn't tell us about this," Natarle said.

"Well, not everyone in the Alliance knows about this ship yet," Smith said. "A prototype vessel. They were supposed to unveil it at Alaska. Yet here we are."

"You seem to be well informed about us," Murrue said.

"That's the 'intelligence' part of our unit," Smith replied, shrugging. "And if Rau le Creuset found out about this, it wasn't as well kept a secret as it should have been."

"You know Creuset?" Mu asked.

Smith nodded. "I know of him, yes. But that's a conversation for another time. I believe you have some visitors," he said, turning to look at Kira and his friends.

"Who are they?" Mu asked.

"Civilians," Murrue explained. "For some reason, several of them were in the factory district when we were attacked."

Mu and Natarle looked at the students, noticing that two of them were looking down at the ground.

"The one in front got into the G-weapon. His name is Kira Yamato," Murrue said. "Thanks to him, we were able to fight off a GINN and capture the enemy pilot."

Natarle looked at her in surprise. "That boy fought off a GINN?"

"I came here as an escort for the pilots who were supposed to use these units," Mu said. "Where are they?"

"We were bombed when they were in the control booth being welcomed by the captain. So, they too…" Natarle left the sentence unfinished.

"I see," Mu said. He shook his head and walked over to Kira. Alex stood up, wincing. Mu looked over at him, noticing the blonde-haired girl next to him. He turned back to Kira. "You're a coordinator, aren't you? Along with Alex there."

Kira was shocked, and Alex grit his teeth. The soldiers behind Mu seemed tense, suddenly. Smith and his squad took a step to the side, watching the event impassively. Or so they seemed.

"Yes," Kira said.

The Alliance soldiers immediately leveled their rifles at him. Tolle and Sai stood in front of the two, preventing the soldiers from firing.

* * *

"We still don't know Miguel's status," Rau said, his right hand on his chin. "The footage from my CGUE might be enough for the council, but I can't very well go back without confirming Miguel's fate."

He looked at the three pilots around him. "You're already aware of the problem with the original OS. Given the fact, I have no idea why that last unit was able to move that well. But what is clear is that we cannot leave it in the hands of the Alliance," Rau explained. "If we cannot capture it, we will destroy it here and now, along with the ship. Don not underestimate either one." He saluted, and the pilots responded.

"Olor! Matthew! Authorization has been granted to use D-equipment! This time, be sure to end it!" Ades said.

"Yes, sir!"

The two pilots kicked off and made their way to the door through zero gravity.

"Captain Ades, please allow me to go, as well!" Athrun said.

"You have no machine, Athrun," Rau said gently. "Besides, you have already completed the important mission of capturing one of the units."

"Let it go, Athrun," Ades said. "Olor and Matthew have a stronger case, given the humiliation they suffered."

Athrun sighed, then nodded. He gave a quick salute, then left the room.

Ades looked at Rau. "I'm surprised he wants to go out there again."

Rau nodded.

"Captain! Priority message from the _Zacynthus_!"

"What?" Ades asked.

Rau frowned. This could turn ugly for him very quickly.

"On screen," he said, pulling himself into a seat.

 _"Been a while, le Creuset."_

Rau smiled. "That it has, Captain Daurio."

James Daurio did not return the expression, glaring at him instead. James was in his mid-twenties, with slightly tanned skin and short brown hair, so short that one might mistake him from a distance for being bald. His grey eyes bore into Creuset's, trying to read the man.

 _"Not long enough. I hear you invaded a neutral colony."_

Rau was not an easy man to surprise, but today was a day where fate was constantly thwarting him at every turn.

"Nonsense," Rau replied. "I received intel that the Alliance was building prototype mobile suits here, violating the neutrality of the colony. Concerned for the safety of the coordinators on the colony, I merely-"

 _"You invaded a neutral colony, owned by a neutral nation, filled with Naturals and Coordinators, to find out if this intel was accurate,"_ James said.

Rau nodded. "That is correct."

 _"Then you authorized an attack on the Morgenroete facility, killing countless soldiers, stole the prototypes, and are now headed back to the PLANTs. Correct?"_

Rau shook his head. "We failed to capture one of the prototypes. We have already attempted to destroy it. I took it upon myself to verify its capabilities by engaging with my CGUE."

James nodded. _"So, you condone the attack?"_

Rau grit his teeth. He was being backed into a corner. If Daurio got back to the council with this news, men like Clyne would have a field day.

"You needn't worry," Rau replied, speaking calmly. "We will be on our way shortly, with the final prototype, and I will be able to clear this up with the council."

 _"Oh, I don't think so,"_ James said, smirking. He pressed his fingers together. _"I'm on my way to Heliopolis as we speak. Originally it was just to safeguard the colony in case the Alliance tried to retaliate for Kaohsiung. Now the reason's changed. I thought it best to give the Council several accounts of the events that have transpired. Not that I don't trust you."_

Rau smiled. "Of course. We await your assistance with this matter."

 _"I'm sure."_

The connection was cut and Ades looked at Rau. "Commander…"

Rau stood up. "We have to finish up here quickly."

* * *

"What are you doing? He may be a coordinator, but Kira is not an enemy!" Tolle yelled at the soldiers.

"How'd you know it was me?" Alex asked, looking at Mu.

Mu smiled. "You're hard to forget. The Blue Blaze of ZAFT. Heard about you."

"The Hawk of Endymion took an interest in me," Alex said. "I'm flattered. You're a hell of a pilot, yourself. Not many people can use a Mobius Zero like you."

Kira was surprised that Alex and Mu were talking to each other as if they were old friends.

Mu's attention was diverted as he heard several guns being cocked. He looked to that the STORII squad were now pointing their weapons at the Alliance troops.

"What are you doing?!" Natarle barked at them.

"Protecting a group of civilians from hostile forces," Smith replied. He had a 1911 Colt .45 pointed at the lead soldier. Behind him, his team also had their weapons drawn. The weapons included were a Mossberg 590A1 twelve gauge, two HK416s, and a GUU-5/P.

"They're coordinators!" One of the Alliance soldiers yelled.

"They're civilians from a technical school," another STORII agent replied. "Kira Yamato is not a member of ZAFT. We checked."

Murrue was surprised yet again. They had intel pulled on the situation as it unraveled. "Lower your rifles!" She ordered the men.

The soldiers did as ordered, though they were visibly displeased. Smith turned his head towards his men, and gave a slight nod. They all holstered their weapons.

"Lieutenant Ramius, explain yourself," Natarle said, stepping forward.

"It's not that surprising," Murrue answered. "Heliopolis belongs to a neutral entity, after all. It's natural that some coordinators would decide to come here to avoid being involved in the war. Isn't that right, Kira?" She asked, looking at him.

"No, you're right," Kira said. "Especially since I'm a first-generation coordinator."

"First generation?" One of the crew members asked quietly.

"Meaning that your parents are Naturals," Mu said. He rubbed the back of his neck then, sighing. "Sorry for causing such a stir. I was just curious, nothing more."

Alex nodded, clutching his side. "No harm done, I guess."

Mu turned to look at the Strike. "On my way here, I saw a number of simulations by the guys who were supposed to fly these things, but they couldn't do much other than getting them to move." He started to make his way out of the hangar.

"Where are you going, lieutenant?" Natarle asked.

"I'm gonna rest up for a bit. The team waiting for us is le Creuset's. He's pretty persistent. If you ask me, we can't afford to spend too much time here," he explained, walking away.

Alex lowered his head in thought. _He's right. The Alliance has to leave, if Heliopolis survives the next attack. If they don't, things will get ugly. And we're nowhere near ready to reveal ourselves. Not yet._

* * *

On the _Gamow_ , ZAFT's techs and engineers struggled to arm their mobile suits in time.

"Number six container! Mount the D-equipment on the GINN!"

"Operation commencing at 0100. Matthew, proceed to standby position."

Several GINNs were already moving to their designated locations.

Up above on the observation deck, Dearka Elsman, Yzak Joule, and Nicol Amalfi patiently waited for orders.

"D-equipment, huh?" Dearka muttered. "Is the commander preparing to capture a fortress?"

"But what'll happen to Heliopolis?" Nicol asked, adjusting the collar of his flight suit.

"Does it matter?" Yzak asked, his eyes closed and his arms crossed. "It serves them right, calling themselves a neutral state."

* * *

In the crew quarters of the _Archangel_ , Kira's friends were huddled together, glancing at Kira occasionally as they talked.

"I'm surprised he can sleep in this situation," Kuzzey said.

"He's been through a lot," Miriallia explained, placing a hand on Kuzzey's shoulder. "It was pretty tough on him."

"I guess you're right," Kuzzey conceded.

"What are you trying to say, Kuzzey?" Sai asked, looking right at him.

"Nothing," Kuzzey answered, looking up. "But that's all we can say for him. 'It was tough for him'."

They didn't notice Alex quietly entering the room.

"Kira said he rewrote the OS on that machine, right?" Kuzzey asked. "When did he do that?"

"What do you mean, when?" Sai asked.

"I can't imagine Kira knowing about that machine before the battle," Kuzzey explained. "So when did he rewrite the program?"

"In the heat of battle, guys," Alex said softly, startling them.

"A-Alex," Miriallia stammered.

"Yeah," Sai said quietly. "A little warning next time."

Alex nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at Kira, a small smile on his face.

"I figured Kira was a coordinator," Kuzzey said. "To think genetically modified coordinators can do these things, and to them, it's nothing more than 'tough'."

"Hey," Alex said, looking at them. "So we're coordinators. We're not superhuman. And, honestly, any other coordinator in his position would have had trouble pulling it off."

"He's that special?" Sai asked, surprised.

"No, Sai," Alex said, rubbing his eyes. "Kira was in a combat situation. He's not a soldier. The adrenaline kicked in, and helped Kira's brain advance a bit farther than he thought he could go."

Sai nodded, and the others looked down.

"I guarantee you, if we asked him to replicate the process, do the same thing again, he probably wouldn't be able to do it. Nowhere near as quickly," Alex said, shaking his head. "Might even take him a few days."

"But all the guys in ZAFT are like that," Kuzzey said. "Aren't they?"

"No," Alex answered. "They're not."

* * *

"I'm told the colony interior is almost completely evacuated," Murrue said, sighing. "But with that last incident, they're on alert level nine."

"Which means the shelters have been completely locked," Mu said, his arms crossed over his chest.

Smith stood off to the side, silent. He'd been the only one from his team to come up to the bridge.

"How are your men on supplies?" Natarle asked him. "We don't have much to spare. We were only supposed to launch the ship out of here. And with the base destroyed, we have no way of getting more."

Smith shook his head. "We're fine. We've got our own batch of supplies on the shuttle. Since my team is small, we don't require much."

"Lucky you," Mu said, smiling halfheartedly.

Smith held up a hand. "Honestly, I think you might need those supplies more than we do. So, if it comes down to it, we will relinquish it. On an as needed basis."

Murrue nodded. "Thank you. What kind of supplies do you have?"

Smith shrugged. "Not a lot. A few extra weapons, some medical supplies, ration bars. You're not the only ones who were supposed use this colony as a pit stop."

Murrue frowned. "I'm not entirely comfortable calling Heliopolis a pit stop," she said, looking down. "Kira and Alex may have been right when they said it's our fault the colony got attacked."

"They 'might' have been right?" Smith asked, putting extra emphasis on the second word. "I know I'm just a grunt, but I really wasn't thrilled when I heard this was our destination. Neutral ground always sounds good for a clandestine operation. Until everything goes wrong."

"We had no other choice," Natarle said, looking at him. She still had a hard time reading him, since he refused to take off the helmet.

"Don't play that game with me, lieutenant," Smith said, shifting his weight slightly and raising his head. "Your superiors could have picked any place on Earth, except Orb. Instead they chose a colony that was built and owned by the Orb Union. A calculated play."

"Calculated?" Mu asked.

Smith looked at him. "It's no secret that the Alliance wants Orb to join them. Their money, and technological level, not to mention Attha's influence, would really help them get ahead in this war. ZAFT's had the edge so far in many aspects. We finally caught up to their mobile suit capabilities, even if the result included a shoddily put together OS. By building here, the Alliance would have had the perfect ploy with which to force Orb to join the Alliance."

"We defend their colony, and as a form of thanks, Orb joins," Murrue said silently.

Natarle frowned. "Conjecture, captain. Nothing more."

"But not out of the realms of possibility," Mu said. "Oh, we're forgetting something as we discuss all this."

"What?" Murrue asked.

"The Heliopolis students, I assume," Smith said.

Mu nodded as Murrue put a hand on her forehead. "We can't just put them in a shelter now. They're all full."

"The lieutenant detained them for seeing military secrets," Natarle said. "We can't just let them go."

Murrue thought back to Alex's words when she had the students at gunpoint.

"We may not have a choice," she said, closing her eyes and sighing.

"Captain-"

"She's right," Smith said, cutting Natarle off. "They're citizens of Heliopolis. They didn't choose this. As Aleksander said, once the alert goes off, someone's gonna ask questions. The Alliance is already going to have an uphill battle for support once it becomes public they were building in secret on Heliopolis. If they learn we detained a group of students under the age of eighteen to prevent a leak, the Alliance will lose a lot of support. Orb may even use that as a sign that the Alliance's methods are hostile."

"ZAFT attacked us," Natarle said. "They launched a strike against this colony."

"Only after learning that you were building mobile suits here," Smith answered instantly. "And give them credit for trying to keep the fighting restricted to the base."

"Creuset won't leave us alone, though," Mu said. "Leave or stay, he'll try to finish us off." He looked up in thought for a moment. "Maybe we should ask Alex?"

Natarle and Murrue looked at him, surprised.

"Absolutely not!" Natarle yelled. "He's a coordinator, and a former member of ZAFT! For all we know, he could very well be a spy!"

"I love how your first statement is that he's a coordinator," Smith said, turning his head towards her. "Not racist at all."

Natarle had the decency to look embarrassed, at least.

"He's not. As I mentioned once before, we looked into it," Smith said.

"So, he really has been hiding out here all this time?" Mu asked.

"Hiding implies he's trying to avoid certain entities," Smith said. "We believe he left ZAFT after their attacks became more brazen. He didn't change his name or appearance. Instead, he came to a neutral colony. Probably thought no one would bother looking for him here. Asking him for advice wouldn't be a bad idea, Mu. And it looks like he's friends with the boy who upgraded the X-105."

"You're going to use it in battle again?" Natarle asked.

"We can't escape without it," Murrue answered.

"It would be better for the lieutenant to pilot it," Natarle said, looking at Mu.

"Hey, don't even think about it," Mu said, holding his hands up. "I can't pilot that thing. Have you seen the OS since that kid rewrote it? It's not possible for a normal human being to pilot it now."

"Then make him change it back!" Natarle yelled, furious.

"The GAT series was barely able to crawl at a snail's pace on its original programming specs," Smith explained. "And you want to put our remaining prototype back on that level?"

"We can't have a civilian, especially a coordinator, using top secret machinery!" Natarle barked at him.

Smith's hand rested on his holster then. "Which part angers you more? Civilian or coordinator?"

Natarle stayed silent.

"Should we just head out and become an easy target for them?" Mu asked her.

"You need a pilot. The boy can do it," Smith said. "He doesn't want to, though. Forcing him sends the wrong message. I have an idea."

He took his hand off the holster and activated his internal comm. "Anderson, could you grab Kolodziej and the Strike pilot and bring them here?"

* * *

On the _Gamow,_ the GINNs had finally launched. As the hangar bay door was about to close, the X303 Aegis made its way to the catapult.

"Hey, no one told me this one was launching, too!" One of the technicians yelled.

On the bridge, Ades groaned as he heard the news. "Call him back immediately."

"Let him go," Rau said.

Ades looked at him in shock.

"We've already completed the data extraction," Rau said. "This may be interesting. A battle between the Alliance's own machines." He smiled and looked out the viewport, clasping his hands behind his back.

* * *

"I'm not doing it!" Kira vehemently said. "I piloted it before, but that was to protect my friends! Don't drag us into this war!"

Murrue looked apologetic, which was a surprise to Alex.

"There may be a war out there," Kira said. "But we don't agree with it! That's why we chose to come here, to live on a neutral colony!"

"Nobody likes war, kid," Smith said, walking up to him. "And if they do, there's something seriously wrong with them."

"Why don't you guys just take the prototype back and use it yourselves?" Alex asked. Of course he knew the answer.

"Very funny," Smith said as Murrue sighed again. "You and Alex are the only ones that can use it since you modified the OS. And you're the more logical choice since you piloted it already."

"He has a point, Kira," Alex said. "Even I was surprised at how well you handled your first time in a mobile suit."

"You want me to do this, Alex?" Kira asked, surprised. "You hate this as much as I do."

Alex nodded. "But think about this way. They'll owe you." He looked at Murrue, his eyes boring into her. "They'll really owe you. Forever."

Smith sighed. "Let me guess. Now you give us the terms of this agreement."

"Heliopolis doesn't join the Alliance," Alex said, crossing his arms. "Now or ever. And to make sure you don't abuse Kira's goodwill, all requests go through me. Put me on CIC. And Kira does not become a soldier of the Alliance by doing this."

"Done," Smith said, and Murrue looked at him, surprise on her face.

Alarms suddenly went off.

"What is it?" Murrue asked.

Mu checked the scanners. "We've got mobile suits incoming!" He announced. "You're gonna have to take command!"

"I am?" Murrue asked, surprised.

"I may have seniority, but I don't know the first thing about this ship," Mu explained.

Murrue sat down in the captain's chair. "Prepare the _Archangel_ for takeoff. All hands, level one battle stations!" She looked at Mu. "Is your mobile armor ready?"

Mu shook his head. "It's no good."

"Then take the CIC," she told him.

"I'll take CIC," Alex said suddenly.

"You?" Natarle said. "Why?'

He pointed at Kira. "He's gonna need somebody to watch his back. I can help him with that. Yelling at him that he's not doing his job right is not gonna aid him in the slightest."

"Very well," Murrue said.

"Captain!"

"Shut up!" Alex yelled at Natarle, shocking her. "You want his help or not? He's a coordinator, he's not a soldier, and he's also YOUR ONLY OPTION!" He suddenly roared. "We have Aiman's GINN, but I haven't flown one of those in a long time, and I'm not about to try it here on the colony. "

Murrue looked at Kira. "Get to the hangar, Kira. Prepare for launch."

Kira nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He looked at Alex. "Thanks."

"I got your back, bracie," Alex said with a nod. When Kira walked out of the room, Alex turned around and cracked his knuckles. "One more thing I've gotta do, captain."

"What's that?"

"Talk to our prisoner."

* * *

Miguel felt the ship lurch and he sat up, looking around. He didn't know what was happening, but was sure it wasn't good.

"Worried?"

He looked over to the door, and he saw Alex and Miriallia. She was holding a tray of food.

"My last meal?" Miguel asked, sounding smug.

"Hopefully not," Alex said, motioning for Milly to hand the tray to Miguel. "ZAFT's moving in. We're going to hold them off."

"Good luck," Miguel said. "The commander's gonna eat you guys alive."

Miriallia passed the tray through the cell bar, and Miguel took it. "If we die, you die," she told him. Miguel was surprised by her statement. She stared at him, showing no signs of emotion. Without another word, she turned around and walked out of the room.

Alex glanced behind him, then turned back. "She has a point."

"What do you want me to do?" Miguel asked. "Switch sides, say I'll help a bunch of Naturals? Don't make me laugh."

Alex leaned forward as Miguel grabbed the small bun and bit into it. "Sooner or later, the balance is going to shift, Miguel. Naturals aren't in the right, but neither are we. Not in this matter. Attacking this place just take out this ship-even you have to know it's wrong."

"Maybe I do," Miguel said, shrugging. "But they built these things here."

"They'll answer for it," Alex said. "I promise. But the citizens shouldn't be the one who pay for it."

Miguel thought about that and nodded. "Hey, what's up with that Kira guy?" He asked, looking at Alex. "He's with the Alliance?"

"No," Alex explained. "He was living here peacefully, same as me. Then you guys attacked. He's not happy about piloting the unit for them, either."

"Then why is he?" Miguel asked. "They forced him to, right?" He took a sip of the water and set it down.

"They tried, but we've got a couple guys here who aren't fans of those tactics," Alex told him. He felt the ship shake slightly. "Gonna have to wrap this up soon," he muttered.

"What guys?"

"Naturals," Alex replied, surprising Miguel. "Soldiers who don't like using cheap scare tactics to make people do as they say."

Miguel was silent.

"I have plans for Heliopolis, Miguel," Alex said. "Kira doesn't know the full extent, but he knows a bit about what I'm planning. Having the help of the Magic Bullet of Dusk-that might really pay off."

"Trying to bribe me?" Miguel asked.

"Giving you a possible choice," Alex clarified. "Think it over. And get to know these people before judging them. Most of the crew is comprised of technical students from Heliopolis. They had nowhere to go after your attack. The girl who brought you the food is one."

Miguel looked down, then. "This was supposed to be easy."

"War is never easy," Alex said. "Not on the soldiers, not on their families. The only ones who have it easy are the schmucks in command, sitting back at home base, reducing their soldiers down to blips on the radar." He started heading out. "Enjoy your meal, Miguel. Hopefully soon, we'll have a conversation as friends, and not captive and captor."

* * *

"Our top priority is to escape Heliopolis," Murrue said. "Be careful not to damage the colony during battle."

"That won't be easy," Jackie muttered.

The door hissed as it slid open, and Alex ran in, taking a seat at the CIC. "What'd I miss?"

"Not much," Dalida Chandra replied. "Thanks for helping."

Alex shrugged, putting the headset on. "What was I gonna do? Sit back and watch? Strike, do read me?"

 _"Yeah."_

"Good," Alex said, nodding. "Kira, we're equipping the Aile Striker pack on your machine. It's got a beam rifle, but you can keep that holstered if you prefer. Use the beam sabers and shield."

"Single heat source approaching!" Chandra announced. "Thermal pattern recognition on. It's a GINN."

Mu pulled up the visual scanner and was stunned at what he saw. "That GINN's got heavy bombing equipment! They're gonna use that here?!"

"Say hello to Rau's tactics," Alex said. "Two more signatures, coming from the Tannenbaum district. Looks like they used the same entrance as before, then took a roundabout route once inside. Interesting."

"How so?" Natarle asked.

"Rau's usually more forward," Alex explained. "If he's being careful, then he's probably been warned that he's on thin ice. That's good for us."

"Launch the Strike!" Natarle said.

"Kira, you're go for launch," Alex broadcast to him.

On screen, he saw the Earth forces prototype leave the hangar. He looked up as a warning signal came up. "Got another contact." His eyes widened as he saw the IFF. "It's the Aegis!"

They're sending it out into combat?" Murrue asked, surprised.

"It's an enemy now!" Mu barked. "You wanna get sunk by it?"

"Prepare Korinthos missiles! Direct laser designator at the GINN!" Natarle said.

"Projectile weapons are useless against phase shift!" Murrue informed her. "Link the laser to the main cannons! Fire at will!"

Alex looked as the cannons fired, the beams missing the targets. _At least they turned down the beam intensity. It'll dissipate before reaching the end of the colony._ He turned on the comm for the crew quarters. "Guys, you can see what's happening on the monitor on the far side of the room."

* * *

In the air, the Strike threw itself into a barrel roll as a GINN opened fire. The beam went past it, hitting a structural column and causing it to crash on the ground. Thankfully it hit an unoccupied are of the colony, though Kira was still devastated to see part of his home damaged.

 _"Kira! They're trying to surround you!"_

Kira snapped back to the present and dodged another blast.

 _"Use the shield!"_

He heard Alex's words, and did just that. The Strike took the hits directly, then moved in, drawing its beam saber. Kira pushed the stick forward, thumbing the trigger. The Strike swung, but the GINN simply turned away before the saber could hit.

"Damn it!" Kira cursed, gritting his teeth.

 _"Kira, you're okay."_

Alex's voice was oddly calming to Kira. "What should I do?"

 _"Use the shield."_

"I'm doing that!" Kira said, glancing at the radar.

 _"No, Kira! Use the shield. Just the shield. Get in close, use it as a battering ram! Might be tough, but it'll throw them off and disorient them!"_

Above the battle, Athrun's stolen machine closed in on the Strike. He turned his head and watched as the other GINNs attacked the legged ship, firing missiles into its side.

* * *

"Intercept!"

"No time!"

"Don't give me that!" Mu snapped. "Give me manual targeting control!"

"Starboard forty degrees! Full speed!" Murrue ordered.

The missiles impacted on the ground below the _Archangel._

The door opened and Cagalli burst it. "What are you people doing?!" She demanded.

"Of all the-"

* * *

Kira blocked another attack and the Strike performed another thrust, once again missing the GINN. He looked at his screen when he got an alert. The Aegis was right behind him. Kira cut his thrusters and let the Aegis fly right past him.

A GINN took the moment of hesitation as the moment to attack and it fired. The beam struck the Strike on the shoulder, damaging it.

Kira yelled as the Strike was thrown into a spin, hurtling towards the ground.

 _"Kira! Kira!"_

Kira heard Alex, but didn't answer. He worked the controls frantically and managed to pull up in time, avoiding several homes.

"I'm hit!"

 _"Calm down! Your machine-"_

"You calm down!" Kira yelled into the comm. "I'm surrounded!"

 _"The Strike's pretty durable! Circle around and show these guys our resolve! You don't have to kill them! Just take away their ability to attack."_

Kira flew the Strike as low as he could, so low he came dangerously close to ripping off the roofs of the houses he passed.

"Then what?" He asked. The comm was quiet. Alex?"

* * *

Alex ripped off the headset as he heard Cagalli's voice.

"Are you insane?!" Cagalli yelled at them. "Fighting inside a colony?"

"Hey, sweetheart!" Alex yelled. "Busy! Go be a spoiled brat elsewhere!"

"Miss Attha, this is a battle!" Murrue said, shocked that she was here on the bridge.

"Captain, we have to destroy the GINNs! Order the Strike pilot to attack them!" Natarle said, looking at Murrue.

"He blows those GINNs up, the explosions from the reactors could cause more damage to the colony!" Alex replied, glancing back at her. He hit the map and looked around. "I have a solution!"

"What is it?" Murrue asked.

Alex didn't answer her. Instead, he simply contacted Kira again. "Kira, the lake. Incapacitate the GINNs one by one, drop them in the lake as you do."

"What's to keep those pilots from escaping?" Cagalli asked, glaring at him.

"Way ahead of you," Alex said, then glanced at Mu. "Call Smith. Tell him I need his guys on the ground. And tell him to bring some umbrellas."

* * *

The shuttle drop was fast, and incredibly uncomfortable, to say the least. When the shuttle landed and they all got off, Anderson dropped to his knees and took several deep breaths. Unprofessional, maybe, but it was the first time in a long time they'd performed a drop that quickly.

Smith placed a hand on his shoulder, and Anderson looked up at him. His chest was heaving and his arms were shaking, but he was okay.

"Up you get, soldier," Smith said, pulling him up. He looked at the others. "Johnson, Walker, Taylor, spread out. Find the best vantage points and keep your eyes peeled at this end here," he motioned behind him. "Kolodziej said he's gonna get the Strike's pilot to drop the GINNs off here, one at a time, busted up enough so that the pilots can't fly them. We take the pilots alive, if we can."

The men nodded. Smith pulled Anderson up and rocked him back and forth. "Shake it off, Anderson. We don't have much time."

Anderson nodded and craned his neck, trying to get himself ready. He looked around, and saw the Strike in the far distance, trying to fend off several GINNs.

"We have no time," Smith clarified, pointing at the battle. "Spread out now!" He activated his comm unit. "We're ready. Tell that kid to sink them."

* * *

 _"Kira! Smith and his team is ready! Get those GINNs now. The_ Archangel' _s reaching her limits, here!"_

Kira nodded and pulled back. The GINNs followed, firing. Kira flew backwards, keeping the shield up. He moved the shield as they fired, using it to block the incoming fire. He didn't want a stray blast to hit the surrounding area, and he figured the mobile suit could take it.

One of the GINNs rushed forward, and Kira responded instantly. As it came at him, Kira wrenched the controls, throwing the shield at the ZAFT machine before pulling a beam saber.

The GINN batted it away, but it's pilot must have been shocked to see the Strike flying directly at him. The first hit struck the GINN right in the head, the saber going straight through it. The Strike moved its arm to the side, slicing the head off before changing the angle of the saber, this time cutting off the arm holding the rocket launcher. The arm fell harmlessly into the lake, the fire control disabled, thankfully. Kira threw the Strike into a twist, and now the machine's leg came up, knocking the other launcher into the air. The Strike swung its saber again, cleaving the launcher and its ordinance in two. The weapon exploded, taking the missiles with it.

The other GINNs were blanketed by smoke. The Aegis pushed through then, coming right at Kira. He barely managed to block the beam strike in time.

 _"Kira! Kira Yamato!"_

"Athrun Zala!" Kira broadcast. "What are you doing here?!"

 _"Why are you with the Naturals, Kira? You and Alex-"_

"You started this, not me!" Kira yelled, furious. The line was silent. "We weren't involved, and then you attacked us!"

 _"Heliopolis helped build-"_

"We had nothing to do with this!" Kira snarled, throwing the Strike at the Aegis.

Athrun was shocked, to say the least. Kira was no coward, but for him to take the offensive, that was something else. Athrun was now trying to avoid the incoming attacks, blocking with his own shield. "Then why help the Earth forces?" He asked. "Why take part?"

 _"No other choice, bracie."_

Athrun was surprised to hear Alex.

 _"You forced our hand. And we're not with the Earth forces. We're just helping each other survive."_

Athrun narrowed his eyes. "By helping them with these mobile suits?"

 _"We didn't build them. Kira and I decided to use the only prototype you didn't take to protect Heliopolis. What's left of it."_

"Why? Why not come back to ZAFT?" Athrun asked.

 _"So we could do stuff like this? Invade sovereign nations that don't want to be involved because you don't care about the backlash or casualty rate?"_

"Leave, Athrun," Kira said. The GINNs came up behind the Strike, and Athrun's eyes widened. Before he could yell a warning, the Strike whirled, throwing its shield at the GINN on the left. It smashed into its head, damaging the visor. Athrun watched as the Strike pulled out both its beam sabers and expertly cut off the arms of both GINNs before beheading them. The machines plummeted to the ground.

Below, Smith and his team dove to the ground as the mobile suits crashed into the lake, sending water right for them. It wasn't enough to carry them away, but they did get completely soaked. Smith looked towards the lake, then nodded to his men. "Move in!"

"Smith, the Aegis is still-"

"I know!" Smith bellowed. "But it's now or never! Move in!"

* * *

On the _Archangel,_ Alex waited for Athrun's response. Natarle had heard a bit, and moved to his station. "Mister Yamato, capture that-"

Alex stood up and shoved her away, surprising everyone.

"Assaulting an officer-"

"No way you're taking my cousin in!" Alex yelled, shaking his head. The bridge went silent.

"Cousin?" Murrue asked. "You were serious?"

"I don't joke when it comes to family," Alex informed her. He sat back down and grabbed the headset. "Athrun, we've already got your fellow pilots. If we include you in the list of POWs, the PLANTs supreme council is gonna have a field day. Leave. Tell le Creuset Heliopolis is off limits. And tell him that spinning events to suit his version of the story is not going to save him. And for the love of God, use your head! You're better than this! Talk to your father! Talk to Clyne. This was a bad move, and you know it! You have thirty seconds to leave or the _Archangel_ opens fire and I tell Kira to attack you. Choose wisely."

He switched the comm off and turned to Murrue. "Thirty seconds, captain. I wasn't joking."

"Captain! Order the Strike to attack the Aegis!" Natarle said.

"Don't be stupid!" Mu replied. "Alex's plan works better for us right now."

"We follow Alex's suggestion," Murrue said grimly. "Prepare to fire. Twenty seconds to firing. Get ready!"

In the Strike, Kira took a deep breath and prepared himself. The Strike brought both beam sabers up, prepared for a battle. He sighed as the Aegis turned around and flew back into the open shaft it came through.

 _"The Aegis is leaving. Help Smith and his buddies. They're grabbing the pilots. You grab the GINNs._ "

"And take them where?"

 _"Take them to the base where the prototypes were. The fires have stopped, mostly. I'll tell them to bring the_ Archangel _over. See you soon. Nice work out there."_

Kira sighed and leaned back in his seat. He took a deep breath and maneuvered the Strike around. His work wasn't finished yet.

* * *

Author's note: Finally done. Sorry it took a while longer than usual. Some things came up, and I was having trouble with this chapter. Finding the right wording can be so brutal. After this, the story changes. Heliopolis still stands, and the _Archangel_ has some more prisoners. How will the civilians of Heliopolis like the turn of events, though? And what will ZAFT do?


End file.
